UNB, Chittagong :Hosts Chittagong Abahani Ltd will face Kingfisher East Bengal Football Club of Kolkata in the final of the eight-team Sheikh Kamal International Club Cup Football Tournament at the MA Aziz Stadium in the port city today (Friday).The title deciding match will kick off at 7:40 pm amid huge enthusiasm among local football fans. Channel 9 will telecast the match live.President of Bangladesh Football Federation Kazi Mohammad Salahuddin, who is also the President of South Asian Football Federation (SAFF), is expected to be the chief guest in the finalIn a pre-match press conference at the conference room of MA Aziz Stadium on Thursday, Coach of Ctg Abahani Ltd Shafiqul Islam Manik said East Bengal FC is a tough side, but his players have the confidence to clinch the title of the maiden tournament. “We will fight for the title. I’ve trust on my players. If we can put pressure (on opponent) we must win,” Manik said.Replying to a query about Ctg Abahani’s only loss against East Bengal Club by 1-2 goals in group stage, the Abahani coach said, “We don’t want to take revenge, but we only want to win.” “Football in Chittagong will get back its glory if Ctg Abahani win the title,” Manik further said. East Bengal FC coach Biswajit Bhattacharyya said, “The two finalists are from the same group. It will a little bit difficult for us to face host team in the final.” “I’m waiting for a good fight. I hope the local fans will enjoy a good game tomorrow. We beat them in the first match, but Ctg Abahani is now more mature with good team combination,” he further said. The ticket price for the final has been fixed at Tk 150 for gallery and Tk 300 for the VIP enclosure. Hosts Ctg Abahani ensured the final berth eliminating De Spin Ghar Bazan FC of Afghanistan by 3-1 goals in the first semifinal on Tuesday while East Bengal FC reached the final eliminating traditional Dhaka Mohammedan SC by 3-0 goals in the 2nd semifinal on Wednesday. On the way to the semifinal, Group-B runners-up Ctg Abahani crushed all-losers Karachi Electric FC by 4-2 goals featuring a hat-trick by Zahid Hossain, beat Dhaka Abahani Ltd by 1-0 in the 2nd match after conceding 1-2 goals defeat to East Bengal FC.East Bengal FC smartly reached the semifinal as unbeaten Group-B champion beating hosts Ctg Abahani 2-1, defeating Karachi Electric FC 3-1 and playing goalless draw with Dhaka Abahani Ltd.
