Club Eagles' striker Ahmed 'Rizey' Rizwan will not be seen in their AFC Cup 2021 playoff game against India's Benagaluru FC next Sunday.

Coach Mohamed Shazly has confirmed this, saying that Rizey is still recovering from the injury sustained in the match against Valencia in the Dhiraagu Dhivehi Premier League last January; Eagles lost the match 0-2.

Rizey missed some matches last season as well, having being injured previously, including the opportunity to play in the FIFA World Cup joint qualification match in June.

While he is to have continued playing without a full recovery, a serious injury led to him having to undergo surgery in February.

Confirming to RaajjeMV that he Rizey will not be playing in the playoff match in two days, Coach Shazly assured that he will be "fit" for next season.

While the playoff game will continue without Rizey, the team has taken on seven experienced players. They are Ali 'Dhagandey' Ashfaq, Akram ‘Aku’ Abdul Ghanee, Ali ‘Sentey’ Fasir, Mohamed ‘Bakaa’ Arif, Ismail ‘Messi’ Easa, Ahmed ‘Ammadey’ Hassan and goalkeeper Mohamed Faisal.

Shazly went on to reveal that the current aim is to prepare the team in time for the match, and earn themselves a place in the group stage. He notes that having experienced players as such, is also an important part of the team’s success.

The AFC Cup group D matches will be held in Maldives, starting with the playoff game between Eagles and Bengaluru FC on August 15th. Winner of the match will join Maldives' Maziya Sports and Recreation Club, India’s Mohun Bagan FC and Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings in Group D.

The group stage will be held across three match days on August 18, 21 and 24, with the eventual group leaders going to semi-finals.