Brothers, MSC face off in Premier Friday finale
Sports Reporter
The on-going war of words between Mohammedan and Brothers Union will take the back seat when the two giants of Dhaka football lock horns in the virtual final of the Premier Bank Premier Football League at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today.While Mohammedan will take to the field to make sure that there will be no friends around for Brothers, the Gopibagh-based club will consider the final as an opportunity to rebuke the allegations of fixing matches brought against them by their Motijheel rivals. The grudge match will kick off at 5pm with the promise of a full-house holiday crowd at the 35,000 capacity stadium. But it is a shame that the face-off between the Black and Whites and the men in Orange will not be covered live either by the state-owned Bangladesh Television or the Bangladesh Betar. Both teams will start the final league match on equal 38 points, meaning that only a victory will confirm new champions. A draw will force a play-off for the coveted title. Mohammedan will go into the match fresh after an inspiring 2-0 victory over Muktijoddha. Holders Bothers also warmed up well for the showdown with a 7-0 thrashing of Dipali Juba Sangha in their penultimate game. The good news for Moha-mmedan is that their midfielder Matiur Munna hit back to form with a double strike against the Reds. Brothers also saw their Russian striker Victor Edwards pumping in four goals just to reassure his scoring prowess. Mohammedan coach Kazi Zasimuddin believes that he has got better individual players in all departments than that of Brothers. "All I need is that my senior players produce their best on Friday. Alfaz is the key man. If he plays well I'm confident to come out winners," said the former national midfielder. His Brothers counterpart Wajed Gazi however used the match-fixing allegation as a weapon to motivate his players. "My boys are really excited about the clash and they want to prove they are the best team by defeating Mohammedan," said the veteran coach who led Sheikh Russel finish runners-up last year. Gazi hinted that his Moroccan midfielder Hissam Inani, sidelined for the last three games due to injury, might return to action on Friday. Mohammedan will also desperately hope their injured striker Manju, who has been out of action for the last six matches, get ready for the big fight.
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