Himal Press 
Machhindra FC Captain Bishal Shrestha and Coach Kishor KC
Match Details:
Date: Tuesday, August 8, 2023 Time: 5:30 pm Venue: Dasharath Stadium Live on: Kantipur TV
KATHMANDU: Machhindra Football Club is facing Bhutanese league champion Paro FC in the first preliminary round of the AFC Cup at the Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu on Tuesday.
Machhindra earned a place in the AFC Cup despite finishing as the first runners-up in the Martyrs Memorial National ‘A’ Division League as the league champion Church Boys United didn’t have an AFC club license.
Machhindra Club was defeated in the first preliminary round of the AFC Cup last year by Blue Star Sports Club of Sri Lanka.
For its AFC Club campaign, Machhindra has inducted eight new players in its team. They have acquired winger Ashish Chaudhary and midfielder Erik Bista from Church Boys. Additionally, national team midfielder Laken Limbu, winger Ayush Ghalan, and defender Sanish Shrestha have joined Machhindra. The club has also signed Rejin Subba and Messouke Olomou from Khumlatar FC, which was relegated to the ‘B’ Division.
However, Machhindra FC Coach Kishor KC said that Messouke is unlikely to play on Tuesday. “We need to complete the documentation process. If we manage to complete it on time, he will play,” KC added.
Addressing the pre-match press conference on Monday, Machhindra Captain Bishal Shrestha said that his team won’t underestimate Paro FC. “Paro FC is the champion of the Bhutanese league. They are not a weak side. Several Bhutanese national team players are also in their team,” he added.
Paro FC Coach Pushpa Lal Sharma described Machhindra FC as a formidable team, even if they aren’t the league champions. “We will play with the aim of achieving positive results,” Sharma added.
Likewise, Paro FC Captain Kinley Wangchuk stated that their focus is solely on the match against Machhindra FC. “We will only think about the next match after facing Machhindra,” he added.
The winner of the match will meet Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the 2nd preliminary round on August 16. If they advance past Mohun Bagan Super Giant, they will compete against the winner between Club Eagles of the Maldives and Abahani Limited Dhaka of Bangladesh in the play-off final.
The AFC Cup is the continental club football competition organized by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). It is the second-tier club competition below the AFC Champions League.
Machhindra FC Squad:
Goalkeepers: Bishal Shrestha, Pradip Bhandari, Luja Maharjan
Defenders: Sanish Shrestha, Debendra Tamang, Diwakar Chaudhary, Chhiring Gurung, Suraj BK, Kareem Omolaja
Midfielders: Andres Nia, Erik Bista, Laken Limbu, Dipesh Ghale, Utsab Rai
Forwards: Bimal Gharti Magar, Ashish Chaudhary, Ayush Ghalan, Messouke Oloumou, Saurabh Limbu, Abhishek Gurung, Rejin Subba, Bijaya Bhujel, Afeez Olawale
