Al Qadsia keen on Bengal boost

(Courtesy - AFC)Kolkata: Assistant coach Ahmed Dresti is keen for Al Qadsia to give their AFC Cup bid a shot in the arm with victory over East Bengal but admitted it will be no easy task to overcome the Indians despite their poor start to Group D.

Al Qadsia trail Al Ittihad and Al Nejmeh by two points following draws with both sides and while their opponents are yet to open their account, Dresti conceded the encounter at Salt Lake Stadium is no foregone conclusion.

“We have drawn both our games but it is a win that will give us a cushion,” said Dresti, deputising for coach Mohamad Ibrahim who was unavailable due to illness.

“We have done well so far but Wednesday's clash will be extremely difficult. Firstly, we must take care of the heat here and then there are artificial turf worries.

“We trained on the artificial turf and I must confess, never felt comfortable. It’s always difficult to adjust to surfaces but I am sure after around 15 or 20 minutes tomorrow we should be able to get a foothold in the match.”

East Bengal have looked somewhat out of their depth so far in the competition, comprehensively losing both their games, but of bigger concern to coach Phillipe de Ridder is the club’s 10-match winless streak, the latest loss being a humiliating 2-0 defeat to lowly Air India in the I-league.

“The team is tired playing continuously in two competitions and this has affected our preparations,” claimed de Ridder.

“One must consider this aspect before pointing a finger at us. Physically, we are not in a very good condition but we must bank on our mental strength.

“We do not have good enough bench strength so we have to field the same players. Injuries too have taken a toll on the performances,” added the Belgian coach, who took over a disjointed and demoralised team last October.

East Bengal will continue to be without the services of injured India captain Baichung Bhutia while defender Nirmal Chettri will have to sit out due to suspension.

The good news for East Bengal is that influential midfielder Mehtab Hossain has made himself available for selection despite needing seven stitches in the last match against Air India.

“I did not want to risk Mehtab but he is eager to play,” added de Ridder.