Bangladesh Premier League champions Bashundhara Kings reached Maldives on Sunday to play their Group D opening match of the AFC Cup 2023 against Dhivehi Premier League champions Maziya Sports and Recreation Club.
A 43-member contingent landed in Male, Maldives at 02:30pm (BST). They will stay at the Hotel Jen Maldives during their tour.
The match between Kings and Maziya is scheduled to be held at the National Stadium in Male on Tuesday. The match will start at 04:00pm (BST).
Before leaving for Maldives, Kings’ Spanish head coach Oscar Bruzon expressed his optimism of starting the tournament campaign on a high note.
“Three points from an away match is very important for us. So we want to start our mission in the AFC Cup with a win,” he said.
The other two teams of the group are - Indian Super Cup 2023 champions Odisha Football Club and play-off winners Mohun Bagan Super Giant.
The teams will also lock horns on the same day at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India.
Kings will play their next fixture against Indian Odisha FC at the Bashundhara Kings Arena of Bashundhara Sports Complex on October 2 before they play against Mohun Bagan SG in Bhubaneswar on October 24.
Kings will then host two matches - Mohun Bagan on November 7 and Maziya SRC on November 27 - before they play their last group match against Odisha FC in Bhubaneswar on December 11.
The first-leg match between Kings and Mohun Bagan was expected to be held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata but due to security reasons due to Durga Puja, it shifted to Bhubaneswar.
Bd-pratidin English/Lutful Hoque
