The crucial match between contenders for the top spot will kick off at 4.30pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium.

Both teams are on 22 points but Abahani, who won the first leg clash 1-0 with a goal by captain Arif Khan Joy, have played one match less.

They will miss their best performer of the first leg, Argentine centre-back Mariano Caporale while the black and whites will be without inform striker Emeka, the Nigerian who was sent off during their 1-1 draw against Muktijoddha last week.

Mohammedan, who raised from early season debacle to finish atop the table on conclusion of the first leg, have drawn both their second leg matches but the consolation for coach Shafiqul Islam Manik is that they came out with two points against fellow title chasers Sheikh Russel and Muktijoddha.

It would be their third big match in a row and Manik believes that the match is not just a matter of honour but also would play a vital role in the championship.

With fund crisis forcing the players to go for a token strike on Wednesday when they refused to train, Manik must find some way to cheer his boys to go out and take revenge.

"The players are ready to do something positive in tomorrow's match after suffering blows early in the second leg. I feel that expectations got high after six successive wins in the first leg. We played up to our billing but did not get the result accordingly," said Manik after his side's light training at the tiny ground at the club tent in Motijheel.

"At the start of the season, we also did not get the desired result but they have showed that they have the will do go all the way.

"Now we just want to maintain the consistency," said Manik, who will rely on the Nigerian trio, especially captain Paul who is also the top scorer with 12 goals, in absence of Emeka.

"Emeka's absence if not crucial. It is a game for 11 men. I will decide who plays beside Paul in attack tomorrow morning. I have two choices in Farhad and Rony."

Manik also hinted at fielding Liberian goalkeeper Paul James in place of the nervy Himel.

Manik, who prefers a 5-3-2 formation, admitted that Abahani are the strongest team on paper but were lucky to win their earlier match.

"We played better. It can happen in football. So that result means nothing," added the former national fullback.

Abahani will have an all-local four-man backline as Pradip will fill in the blank of Caporale beside Nazrul. The sky-blues are also expected to keep Emily and Tipu at bench, going for an all-foreign attack with Ghanaian striker Ibrahim paired with new signing Souleyman Nchouwat.

It looks that only Joy's place is guaranteed in the midfield with plenty of players available for the attacking roles.

"It's good headache for any coach to have so many players. All are fit but we will field tough players in the end because the match will be tough," said manager Satyajit Das Rupu, who still repents their only loss in the competition to Khulna Abahani.

"We would have had the advantage in the race had we not missed numerous chances in that match. We also wasted a penalty in the drawn match against Chittagong Mohammedan," said Rupu shortly after a full training session at the Abahani ground in Dhanmondi.

With Abul scoring both the goals in their 2-1 win against Chittagong Mohammedan last week, the national midfielder will press for a place but has to convince the management that he is better than Ujjal, Khoubbache, Zahed Parvez or untested Nigerian player Obi Mikel John, whose international transfer certificate was due to arrive last night.

"The attitude is very important. We have to be aggressive in front of the goal. We have created chances but failed to translate them into goals," said coach Amalesh Sen explaining Abahani's main problem.

"I feel that the confidence has been regained and if our players manage to keep the opposition under pressure, we will not feel the absence of Caporale, who was outstanding," told Amalesh.

"Mohammedan have been playing well but relies too much on Paul's goal scoring ability. But half of his dozen goals came in just one match. That tells us that he is not consistent and nothing to worry about really," the ex-national midfielder added.