I-League 2017: Bengaluru FC aims to bounce back after AFC Champions League blow

Pune: Buoyed by a spirited show in their AFC Champions League preliminary stage two qualifier in Jordan earlier in the week, defending champions Bengaluru FC will look to get back to winning ways in the I-League football tournament when they take on DSK Shivajians at the Balewadi Stadium on Sunday. [caption id=“attachment_3210264” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  CK Vineeth celebrates after scoring a hattrick against Mumbai FC in the I-League. PTI[/caption] Having suffered consecutive reversals in the League before the trip to Amman, coach Albert Roca said his side would look to build on the valiant show against Al-Wehdat where the Blues went down 1-2 but not before earning praise from the away fans and media alike. “We had phases in the games against East Bengal and Churchill where we switched off and ended up paying the price for it. But against Wehdat, we worked on a few things and I’m proud of the way the boys stuck to the plan,” he said. “The attitude was good and it was there for all to see and if we carry on like this, we should put behind the minor hiccups we have suffered,” Roca said on the eve of the game." DSK, meanwhile, are battling to stage a resurrection of their own, sitting seventh on the table with five points and just one win to show for. The Dave Rogers-coached side were unlucky in coming away with a goalless draw against Mohun Bagan in a game they took to the Kolkata side. “DSK are a good team and they showed it in the game against Bagan. Even in their last game against Aizawl, they conceded in the final minute to go down 0-1. We will be stepping on the pitch on Sunday knowing we cannot afford any more slip-ups and I’m confident the team will rise to the occasion,” Roca said. A big positive that the Blues will take into the game is skipper Sunil Chhetri finding himself among the goals after a barren run that stretched to a little beyond two months. Bengaluru will be without the services of defender John Johnson, following his red card in the previous clash against Churchill Brothers.