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What to expect from Bengaluru FC's AFC Cup opponents Altyn Asyr FK

AFC Cup 2018: Bengaluru FC will begin their 2018/19 season against Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr FK at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday.

Defender Zafar Babajanov (left) and midfielder Resul Hojayev,of Altyn Syr

Bengaluru, August 21: Super Cup champions Bengaluru FC will begin their 2018/19 season with a tough fixture against Turkmenistan's Altyn Asyr FK at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Wednesday (August 22). The second leg of this AFC Cup Inter-zonal Semi-final will be held at Ashgabat on August 29.

Altyn Asyr are tricky opponents, having pipped last year's runners-up Istiklol, to seal their place in the knockouts. BFC definitely won't have it easy as Altyn Asyr appear an energetic side willing to play their brand of football to get the result.

BFC's poor preseasonBFC's poor preseason

Here what we know about the Turkmenistan club, who are the Yokary Liga champions for each of the last four years.

• Altyn Asyr are based out of the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat and have been in existence since 2008.

• They have won the league for the last four years but are in the AFC Cup knockouts for the first time. They defeated Istiklol 3-2 in their final Group D game, with Mihail Titov scoring the winner in the seventh minute of injury time.

• Their coach Yazguly Hojageldiyev doubles up as the national team coach of Turkmenistan. Most of the players in the club represent the national team. The rest come from the usual runners-up Ahal FK.

• Altyn Asyr are an attacking side and coach Hojageldiyev employs a 4-4-2 formation. They have scored 31 times in 16 games, letting in 10 goals. Bengaluru FC have recently had troubles in their defensive area and they need to be wary of the threat posed by playmakers Murat Yakshiyev (five goals and six assists in AFC Cup) and Altymyrat Annadurdyyev (six goals in AFC Cup and eight goals in Yokary Liga).

• Their goals record is impressive - they create at least 11 chances in each game and score at least two goals on an average in a game.

• Back home, Altyn Asyr are second on the Yokary Liga table, trailing leaders Ahal FK, who are on 35, by two points but with a game in hand.

Action from the AFC Cup 2018 game between Altyn Asyr FK and FC Istiklol (Credit: the-afc.com)

Players who can make a difference:

Murat Yakshiyev: The 26-year-old attacking midfielder has started in all of Altyn Asyr's AFC Cup games this season and is their main wrecker-in-chief. He has created six chances for his side in Group D matches, a pool that featured Istiklol, Ahal FC and Alay Osh (Kyrgyz Republic). That apart, he has scored five times in the group stages and has provided three assists. His passing accuracy is a mere 51 per cent but Altyn Asyr will deploy him to create space for their other strikers Altymyrat Annadurdyyev.

Mihail Titov: If not for Titov, Altyn Asyr wouldn't be travelling to Bengaluru and it would have been Istiklol, who knocked out BFC last season in the inter-zonal final, instead. Titov, not the preferred striker, scored with the last kick of the game against Istiklol to see them through. He may not have the pace or the youthfulness, but Titov has tremendous experience and knows where to be to poach a goal for his team.


Coach speak:

We didn't have enough experience in our team to play in the AFC Cup knockouts the last two years. But we're preparing well for this year's inter-zonal semi-final and this is not the last match for us. The next one at home in Ashgabat is the big one which will decide who will progress to the next stage. - Yazguly Hojageldiyev, Altyn Asyr coach

Story first published: Tuesday, August 21, 2018, 17:57 [IST]
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