Bangladesh take on Mongolia in their second FIFA tier-1 international friendly match scheduled to be held today (Tuesday) at Sylhet District Stadium in Sylhet.
The match kicks off at 5.30 pm.
The friendly match is a part of the preparation for the final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers for both teams. The last time Sylhet District Stadium hosted an international football tournament ‘Bangabandhu Gold Cup’ was in 2018.
Bangladesh will get ample support from the local football fans because if there is any domestic and international match in Sylhet, the local football fans don’t’ hesitate to come to the stadium to support the team.
Jamal also enjoy the atmosphere and at the same time, the Bangladesh captain is also expecting support from the fans in today’s match against Mongolia.
Bangladesh had suffered a 2-0 goal defeat to the Maldives in their first FIFA tier-1 international friendly match held at the Maldives National Stadium in Male, but now the home team are upbeat to bring back their confidence level by winning the match against Mongolia utilizing the home ground advantage.
Addressing a pre-match press conference held on Monday at the match venue, Bangladesh’s team skipper Jamal Bhuyan said they are disappointed with the defeat against the Maldives, but they are ready to take the charge of the team.
Jamal said as the match would be held on the home ground the whole country would be looking at them and it’s their responsibility for them to perform on the pitch.
There isn’t much difference between Bangladesh and Mongolia as far as FIFA ranking is concerned. Both the teams are coming off defeats in their first matches under a new coach. Skipper Jamal however are found more focused on performance on the pitch rather than rankings and past results.
The midfielder said they don’t bother in ranking rather and don’t see which team is below us or who’s above rather they treat all their opponents in the same way.
He said they don’t focus on the absence or presence of any player in the team rather they are concentrate to follow the plan of the coach to implement on the field.
Mongolia captain Tsend-Ayuush Khurelbaatar said he wants to make the match against Bangladesh memorable because the two countries are going to face again for the first time since that fateful encounter in Dammam 21 years ago.
Bangladesh team’s coach Javier Cabrera and Mongolian coach Ichiro Otsuka were also present at the press conference.
