Pune: Pune FC will be commencing their maiden AFC Cup campaign against Myanmar's Nay Pyi Taw FC in afirst round encounter at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex, Balewadi, here tomorrow.
The Group H clash is a face-off between two teams, who are playing for the very first time in Asia's second-level competition.
Currently, Pune FC is midway through their league campaign and is confident going into the big game having logged a couple of positive results at home.
But coach Mike Snoei was cautious ahead of the game.
"The home games in the tournament are very important. We should make the most of it, otherwise we will be under pressure going into the away games," he said.
Stand-in skipper Douhou Pierre echoed the same sentiment.
"This is an international game, not just an I-League game. We need to be at our best, especially at home and can't take the opponents lightly," said the captain.
Sitting third in the I-League table, Pune FC recently ended their winless streak with a dominating 2-0 win over Mohammedan Sporting last week and will be boosted by the
return of few players from injury.
Snoei expects a good performance from the team.
"We have a few players missing like Anas (Edathodika) and Arata (Izumi). However, the team must step up and give it all.
In the meantime, we must not take pressure and try to enjoy these games," he said.
