King’s Cup, Bhutan: Pune FC aim to seal semi spot; face Assam State Electricity Board

Pune FC will be up against fellow Indian side Assam State Electricity Board in a crucial third round group stage encounter of the King's Cup at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Bhutan on Sunday.

The game will be an important one for both sides for distinct reasons. To begin with, a win for Pune FC will take them one step closer to a semifinal spot. On the other hand, having lost two consecutive games, ASEB need a win to keep their faint hopes of qualification alive.

Pune FC go in to the game wanting to keep their hundred per cent record intact after logging consecutive wins in their opening two games against foreign opposition.

Moreover, with only two teams out of five in the group qualifying for the semifinals, a win will not only help Pune FC (6 pts) consolidate their top spot in Group-B, but will also keep them ahead of MMC, Nepal (3 pts), Abahani Limited (3 pts), Dhaka and Bhutan’s Ugyen Academy (3 pts) in the standings.

Furthermore, the game on Sunday will be played at 3.00 PM in the afternoon and will be the third different Kick Off time for Pune FC in the competition. However, it will be a welcome change for the team with the temperature expected to be a little higher than the cold conditions after sunset.

Having trained every day since their arrival in Bhutan, Pune FC had a much needed rest day on Friday as they gear up to play twice in the upcoming three days with the final group game against Abahani Limited scheduled on Tuesday.

Speaking after a training session at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu, Coach Karim Bencherifa said, “We changed our plans from the first game a little bit against Ugyen, and it worked well. Unfortunately we couldn’t score more than one goal but we created a host of chances against a team which has been together for a very long time.”

He further added, “The match tomorrow is a very important one for us. We need to keep performing the way we have done in the first two games. A win tomorrow means we won’t have to depend on other results and will be able to make a few changes ahead of the knockouts.”

On the team news front, Pune FC will have to deal with a few minor niggles. However, no major injury concerns will be a positive sign for the team ahead of the last two group games.

On the other hand, ASEB, who are yet to open their account in Group-B, come into the game after two hard fought narrow losses against Dhaka’s Abahani Limited and MMC, Nepal.

With their faint qualification hopes hanging by a thread, ASEB, featuring all Indian players, will go all out against Pune FC and will be a tough nut to crack.

Interestingly, the game against ASEB will be the second time Pune FC face the team from the north-east. Back in January 2008, Pune FC played their first-ever game as a professional team against ASEB in the Kalinga Cup in Orissa and won the clash via a tie-breaker.

Furthermore, the game will also be the first time that Pune FC faces an Indian team on foreign soil.

The match, which will be played late in the afternoon, kicks off at 3.00 PM local time (2.30 PM IST) on Sunday.