Bengaluru FC are all set to lock horns with Dhaka's Abahani Limited at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in an AFC Cup third round encounter.
The BBlues who have so far had a wretched title defense of their I-League crown are in pretty good nick off late having won their last two league games.
Conte: Pogba a massive player for United
Harmanjot Singh Khabra who came into the side last match showed his mettle and will look to slot in with Cameron Watson suspended.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh will need to carry the mantle of creativity as Bengaluru want to make it 3 wins out of 3 in their AFC Cup campaign.
Elsewhere in defense, Sandesh Jhingan too is suspended and Salam Ranjan Singh will deputize at Right Back with Nishu Kumar slotting in the left.
Amrinder Singh is still out injured and Arindam Bhattacharya will be the man between the sticks for the reigning champions.
Interestingly, a win is paramount for Albert Roca and Co. who have made the AFC Cup their primary focus this season and Sunil Chhetri will look to team up with the returning Udanta Singh to tear apart the Abahani defense.
Dele Alli: I am not a striker
Abahani will have to be careful defending as their talismanic central defender Samad Yussuf is missing due to visa issues. His replacement Nasiruddin Chowdhury will have to be on his toes against the pacy Bengaluru frontline.
Drago Mamic will look to arm his troops in a 4-1-4-1 formation with Tutul Hosain Badsha expected to shield the defense.
Former Cardiff City playmaker Jonathan Brown will look to make his team tick while Emeka Darlington upfront will have to find his scoring boots if Abahani want to register their first points on the board.
Know your Rivals: Dhaka Abahani
Both teams desperately need a win, with Bengaluru looking to stay top dog especially with Mohun Bagan in action a day later while Abahani need a win to stay in contention for a spot.
With the AFC Cup having different qualification criteria, only one team will make it to the Semi-Final Zonal Play-offs from the group and hence a result becomes even more paramount for every side.
Kick-off is at 7.00 PM IST.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
BENGALURU FC
Injured: Amrinder Singh
Doubtful: Udanta Singh, CK Vineeth
Suspended: Cameron Watson, Sandesh Jhingan
Key Player: Sunil Chhetri
ABAHANI LIMITED FC
Injured : Emon Babu
Doubtful: Pranotosh Kumar Das
Unavailable : Samad Yussif
Key Player: Emeka Darlington