Bruzon’s Kings ‘motivated by quality of opposition’

Since the start of their journey in Bangladesh's top-flight football in 2018, Oscar Bruzon has been instrumental behind every success of Bashundhara Kings in the domestic circuit. However, the 46-year-old coach, who previously coached Sporting Club de Goa and Mumbai City of India as well as New Radiant of Maldives, has not yet delivered any international success for the Bangladesh Premier League champions. Following two futile attempts to get past the AFC Cup group stage, the Spaniard now faces another big challenge in the form of AFC Champions League. The Kings coach talked to The Daily Star's Anisur Rahman prior to their preliminary round match against Sharjah FC of United Arab Emirates.

The Daily Star (DS): As the coach of the first Bangladeshi club to compete at the highest level of Asian club football, how do you want to utilise this opportunity?

Oscar Bruzon (OB): This game is indeed an opportunity to prove whether we can compete or not at the top Asian competition. However, we are aware we will face a strong opposition and adjust our game idea to what the game demands.

DS: Your team will face two tough issues -- a strong Sharjah FC side and the hot weather in UAE. How have the players prepared to deal with those issues?

OB: We are experiencing extreme weather conditions here in UAE. It's really dry and hot but we are careful and concerned about improving the breathing capacity of our players which will be a key factor to keep up a high tempo during the match.

DS: Teams will have the opportunity to field six foreign players. Will it help your team perform better than on previous occasions?

OB: The quality of our foreign contingent will help us to have a more competitive unit. They have always shown difference in domestic competitions but the ACL have different demands. We are pretty satisfied with our new signings [Shokhrukhbek Kholmatov, Boburbek Yuldashov of Uzbekistan and Charles Didier of Ivory Coast].

DS: How do you rate Sharjah FC as an opponent?

OB: It's a club full of world class players and with depth in their squad. They have previous experience of playing in the ACL and have the advantage of playing a home game. Additionally, they compete in one of the best leagues in Asia. But all those things motivate us to be determined to play at our best possible level.

DS: What is the ultimate target in this one-off encounter?

OB: Giving a good fight, create problems for them, provoke situations that favour us and ultimately capitalise on the chances and opportunities that come our way.