Kings ready to fight against Sharjah

Bashundhara Kings are set to become the first Bangladeshi club to make an AFC Champions League appearance when they square off against Sharjah FC in the preliminary round at Sharjah Stadium today.

The match will get underway at 9:30pm (Bangladesh time).

The Bangladesh Premier League champions could not get past the group stage of AFC Cup in the last two seasons after their maiden appearance in the second-tier club competition of Asia was cancelled due to the pandemic. This time, though, they received direct entry into the preliminary round of the continent's top-tier club competition.

The charges of Oscar Bruzon will face an uphill task against Sharjah FC, who boast some stellar names in world football including Miralem Pjanic of Bosnia, Kostas Manolas of Greece and Paco Alcacer of Spain alongside a few quality Brazilian players.

The UAE-based side last month played four friendly matches as preparation, winning 3-0 against Al Ahli of Qatar, 1-0 against Al Bateeh of UAE, 2-0 against Csikszereda of Romania and playing out a 1-1 draw against Mezokovesd of Hungary.

The hosts were also undefeated at Sharjah Stadium in last season's three matches of the AFC Champions League.

"It is not only an important match for Bashundhara Kings but also an important fixture for Bangladesh and we are ready for the fight to win the match," said Kings' Uzbek midfielder Asror Gafurov.

Echoing the same sentiment, defender Saad Uddin said, "We have been together for one year and understanding among the players is good. So, we are confident and excited about the match and ready to show our worth."

If Kings overcome the challenge of Sharjah FC, a side that played in the AFC Champions League group stage in the last three seasons, they will face Iran's Tractor FC in a play-off match next week to get into the group stage.