East Bengal, who are lying at the bottom of Group D without any point so far, travel to Syria with an inexperienced side without five key players, including star striker Bhaichung Bhutia.
Besides Bhutia, East Bengal will be without captain Syed Rahim Nabi, Renedy Singh, Mehrajuddin Wadoo and Abel Hammond.
With East Bengal already out of a semifinal contention and Kolkata League match against arch rivals Mohun Bagan on Saturday, it was no surprise coach Philippe de Ridder decided to rest key players.
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