Tue, 30 Nov, -0001
Colombo: Coach Sampath Perera is banking on home advantage proving the difference when his Sri Lanka Air Force SC side kicks off their maiden AFC President's Cup campaign in their Group A opener on Saturday.
Having advanced to the finals of the last edition of the 'emerging nations' tournament as runners-up behind Sheikh Russel of Bangladesh in May's qualifiers, Perera and his charges will now contest a three-team group that includes Nepalese side Manang Marshyangdi Club and Turkmenistan's FC HTTU for a place in Friday's final against the winner of Group B.
And Perera's hopes of championship glory are boosted by the familiar surrounds of Colombo's Sugathadasa Stadium and the presence in his side of four Sri Lankan internationals.
"We are playing at home, so this gives an extra bonus to my team's capacity and capability to be competitive against the sides in our group. This gives me confidence that we can do well in this tournament," said Perera, who will look to his national team stars Sujan Perera, Kavindu Ishan, Nipuna Bandara and Dilshan Fernando to help lead the side.
"We have four national team players in the team so we hope we will be able to go all the way in this tournament. But the first match is very crucial. We must get three points from our opening fixture."
Coach Nabin Neupane's Manang Marshyangdi are the first test for Perera's players, and the Sri Lanka Air Force coach is well aware of the quality of the Nepalese side who came out top in their qualifying group.
"Nepali teams are going through a very good spell at the moment and are hard to beat. In particular, their youth development programmes are bearing fruit with many young players seamlessly integrating into their senior sides, so I'm sure it will be a tough game," Perera added.
Neupane, meanwhile, is also expecting a close game with familiar foes in their opener, citing the fact that the respective national sides of Nepal and Sri Lanka have faced each other on many occasions. FC HTTU, though, are more of an unknown entity.
"Nepal have played Sri Lanka on so many occasions, so I have some idea how the Sri Lanka Air Force team will play, especially as they have some national team players in their squad," said Manang Marshyangdi coach Neupane.
"They may have home advantage, but we have been preparing for over two months for this tournament and we're sure to play to our best level.
"The team from Turkmenistan, FC HTTU, in fact, is more of a mystery. Although we know they will be physically strong and technically good, we've never played them in club football so we don't know much about them – either way we'll be ready."
Of all the teams at the 2014 AFC President's Cup, though, it is the Turkmen club who perhaps have the most pedigree at the tournament, having reached the semi-finals in the 2010 edition. Their countrymen, Balkan FT, also claimed last year's AFC President's Cup title by beating KRL of Pakistan in the 2013 final.
However, assistant coach Rowshen Meredov insisted that his players would be anything but complacent in their upcoming Group A ties.
"While it's true we have players who might have much more experience in this tournament than the other teams, having played in 2010 or other editions doesn't necessarily give us an advantage in the 2014 version as there are no easy teams - we are all equal," said Meredov.
"The Turkmenistan national team have met the Nepalese and Sri Lankan team before in tournaments, so it's not the first time we've come up against them. We know their strategy and football but we are also ready to find out what new tactics and play they may have developed."