Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Singapore: Balestier Khalsa coach Marko Kraljevic has urged his players to keep their hopes of a Round of 16 place in the AFC Cup alive with a win over visiting Hong Kong champions Kitchee in the penultimate round of group fixtures on Tuesday.
The Singapore Cup winners are rooted to the bottom of Group F having lost 3-0 to India’s Kingfisher East Bengal a fortnight ago, despite victory in their first meeting with the Kolkata-based club in the previous Matchday. And as a result, their meeting with second-placed side Kitchee at Jalan Besar Stadium on Tuesday is a must-win tie for the Singaporeans with anything but three points resulting in their elimination from the tournament with a game to spare. "We have a slim chance to qualify into the next round, but it's still there. There is nothing much we can do, except to win the remaining matches,” said Balestier coach Kraljevic, whose side lost their first meeting with Kitchee 3-0 in the opening matchday. "The weather in Hong Kong was cold when we played there previously, but we have the humidity and artificial turf to our advantage this time. "Even though a few Kitchee players had played here previously, it doesn't mean the whole team has; it's all about teamwork. Kitchee are a very good team and will be tough to play, but we will try." And Balestier will have to be without defender Hanafi Salleh, who is suspended for the match. Kitchee, meanwhile, know that a positive result in Singapore will be enough to cement their place in the AFC Cup’s last 16 if results elsewhere go their way. Jose Molina’s side will advance if they beat Balestier and East Bengal do not beat group leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim in Tuesday’s other tie, or, alternatively, if they avoid defeat in Singapore and Johor achieve victory in Kolkata. "Our first aim is to ensure Kitchee get through into the round of 16, so we need to focus and try to win in Wednesday’s match,” said Kitchee coach Molina. "To finish top is likely to be difficult, so we must try and win against Balestier and East Bengal in the final two group matches. "East Bengal did not win at the artificial turf at Jalan Besar Stadium, Johor needed a last minute goal to win, so it won't be easy for us to play on this surface." With coach Bojan Hodak and Johor parting ways ahead of the game with East Bengal, Ismail Ibrahim is in temporary charge of the Malaysian champions for the trip to India and the assistant coach is looking for the victory that could take Johor into the Round of 16 as group winners. Should Kitchee fail to win against Balestier, a Johor win will see them claim the group’s bragging rights with a game to spare, while at least a point from the tie in Kolkata, regardless of the result in Singapore, will be enough to see them advance. “We have come here to try and win the game, and so we have brought a very strong team with us,” said Ibrahim. “East Bengal are a very good team and they played very well when they came to Malaysia.” A trio of injuries for East Bengal, though, has coach Eelco Schattorie concerned about his side’s prospects against Johor. Defeat to their Malaysian visitors and Balestier failing to beat Kitchee would see East Bengal’s hopes of a Round of 16 place ended, while a Kitchee win would mean that nothing less than a win for the Indian club would suffice. “Theoretically we can still qualify for the Round of 16 but realistically it’s going to be very difficult. Especially as I now have three more injuries in Saumik Dey, Milan Susak and Leo Bertos,” said Schattorie. “My biggest fear is to get more injuries, so although we will try to win it will be difficult considering the fitness level of my players.”