Three days after snapping their nine-match winless run across competitions, East Bengal FC are gearing up for another key hurdle to cross when they take on Lebanon's Nejmeh FC in their final Group A match of the AFC Challenge League in Thimphu on Friday.
At stake for Oscar Bruzon's team is not only a place in quarterfinals of the remodeled third tier of men's AFC club competitions, but a much-required confidence-booster before resuming action in the Indian Super League.
East Bengal are second in the group with 4 points, 2 points behind a perfect Nejmeh.
Eight teams will progress to the quarterfinals from the group stage — the three group winners and best-ranked runners-up from the West, and the top two finishers of each group from the East.
Should East Bengal finish second, they will still have a chance to advance, but their fate may depend on the day's second match between hosts Paro FC (1 point) and already-eliminated Bashundhara Kings (0 point).
East Bengal's talk of resurgence has gathered steam from their 4-0 demolition of Bashundhara on Tuesday, the team's first win in 10 matches in the season. They held Paro 2-2 in the opener with Dimitri Diamantakos scoring in both matches.
"The last game (against Bashundhara), especially its first half, was a beautiful art of football. We are slowly improving and I believe the players can be ready for another high intensity football," Bruzon told reporters in Thimphu on Thursday.
East Bengal have faced Nejmeh SC twice in Asian football earlier, losing 0-3 away and 0-4 at home in 2010 AFC Cup group stage.
Bruzon is aware of the challenge on hand. "There's no speculation or calculation and both teams will go for the win and qualify for the knockout stage. So, the analysis is quite simple," the East Bengal coach said.