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Preview
Odisha FC take on Bashundhara Kings at the Kalinga Stadium in their final group stage clash of the AFC Cup, needing a win to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
The Bangladeshi side currently hold a bit of an edge as even a draw would take them through to the next round, but they face an Odisha side full of confidence, as they are unbeaten in their lats six games.
In their previous AFC Cup game, Odisha produced a sensational performance at the Salt Lake Stadium to defeat Mohun Bagan Super Giant 5-2, and knock them out of the competition.
Sergio Lobera’s side had a scare in their last ISL game as Ahmed Jahouh picked up an injury, but the Spanish head coach said on Sunday that he was feeling well and has a good chance of playing this game. Mourtada Fall, too, is available to start.
With Odisha having their full complement of foreigners available, Narender Gehlot could be relegated to the bench for Fall to come back into the side, while Isak Ralte is likely to once again move to the AFC Cup bench to accommodate both Roy Krishna and Diego Mauricio up front.
As it stands, Bashundhara have 10 points from 5 games, while Odisha have 9. If Odisha win, they will move to the interzonal playoff semifinal stage, which will be held in the new year.
