Abahani (L) and Mohammedan players go through a training session at their respective grounds yesterday ahead of the marquee Super Cup final between the two teams which will be held at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.Both Abahani and Mohammedan will be aiming to end the season on a high note by winning the Grameenphone Super Cup as the perennial foes are set to face each others in the final of the money-spinning tournament at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.The match will get underway at 3:30pm with state-owned Bangladesh Television telecasting the game live from the venue.
Considering the strength and performance of both sides, no one expected the archrivals to reach a tournament final this season. Yet after vanquishing the three outfits of the star-studded Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, a rejuvenated Muktijoddha Sangsad and new powerhouse Sheikh Russel KC the classic final has come true for the supporters of the two popular outfits.
The Black and Whites, who spent this season as a mediocre outfit and without any success, strengthened their side by signing some player on-loan for the Super Cup. And they did not give star-studded Sheikh Jamal any chance in the semifinal and thrashed the Bangladesh League champions 4-2 to make their presence finally felt to others in the season's last tournament.
Nevertheless, Abahani are far the better side on paper and the Sky Blues got off to a flying start in the season winning Federation Cup but they failed to keep the momentum in the professional football league and the Independence Cup but they slowly recovered to reach the Super Cup final after coming from behind twice to beat Muktijoddha Sangsad 5-4 in a tiebreaker.
Despite having a gulf of difference between Mohammedan and Abahani in the Bangladesh League, Abahani could beat Mohammedan 1-0 in the first-leg but were forced to play out of a goalless draw in the second leg that actually reflects the point that strength does not matter when it is a battle between Abahani and Mohammedan.The Motijheel-based outfit will definitely rely on Nigerian striker Sunday Chizoba, who struck a hattrick against Sheikh Jamal, in the final against Abahani, who will also aim to keep the tall striker under guard.
“When a striker gets a goal in every match, he will be heavily marked by the opponents in the next match, but Mohammedan have been playing as a unit and there are other players who also can score to steer the side,” said Mohammedan coach Shafiqul Islam Manik.Manik would adopt a different strategy against Abahani to foil their attacks before they themselves would counter-attack.
“If we can keep the momentum of the semifinal, we can win the Super Cup,” Manik said. “Money is not only the factor to win Super Cup, a trophy this season is also much needed for Mohammedan and we will try to end the season on a high.”
Like Mohammedan, Abahani will badly be hoping for a dazzling performance from Ghanaian hitman Awudhu Ibrahim who has been a shadow of himself through the season except his performance in the Federation Cup final where he struck a ha-trick to help Abahani come from behind.
“Ibrahim is such a player who can single-handedly guide the team to a win but he has not been performing well but we hope he would put his best in the final to help Abahani win the Super Cup,” said Abahani coach Amalesh Sen.In the semifinal, Abahani battled against odds, especially injuries inside the team, to cross the semifinal hurdle and the Sky Blues may pin their hopes on the starting eleven that was featured against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club.
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