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Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy: Bangladesh face Sri Lanka today

Motivated Bangladesh take on host Sri Lanka in their third and last match of Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy four nations international tournament scheduled to be held today (Tuesday) at Race Course Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The match kicks off at 9.30 pm (BST).

The football tournament is now open to all the four teams. Bangladesh and Seychelles are in a slightly advantageous position but Maldives and SriLanka also have a chance to play the final. The outcome of the last two matches on Tuesday will determine which the two teams will play the final of this tournament.

Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa Trophy: Bangladesh face Sri Lanka today

Bangladesh are in a comfortable position on their way to the final with four points from two matches after a draw against Seychelles and a remarkable victory over the Maldives and the boys in red and green is needed only one
point to ensure the final spot. Bangladesh team’s head coach Mario Lemos however wants to go to the final with full three points against Sri Lanka.

Addressing at a pre-match press conference , Bangladesh’s Portuguese coach said as it would be their last match so they are preparing for the victory against Sri Lanka.

The Bangladesh’s interim coach said every match of the tournament is different and they are going to play also a different game against Sri Lanka.

He said the boys have prepared differently for this match. Sri Lanka did not do well in the first match, but everything could be changed if they (SriLanka) able to win the last match and get the ticket of final.

Captain Jamal Bhuiyan mentioned they have no shortage of motivation.

“We have an opportunity to take the trophy home from foreign soil and that is a big motivation for us. Apart from that, expectations from 170 million people inspire us to deliver.”

In terms of overall head-to-head count, Bangladesh have a clear edge over Sri Lanka. However, Sri Lanka have the upper hand in Colombo as they had beaten Bangladesh in the 2008 SAFF Championship in the now-defunct AFC Challenge Cup in 2010.

“I watched Sri Lanka’s match against Seychelles and one thing that stood out was  they received great support from the fans even when they were playing badly.

“So we have to be very calm and be disciplined like the last match and read the momentum of the game because they need to take risks and if they do, we must make them pay,” said the 35-year-old coach adding that the winless record in Colombo is a big motivation for them to win against Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka needs to win today’s game if they are to have any chances of qualifying to play in the final and they must also hope that the Maldives would beat Seychelles.

Bangladesh and Seychelles are currently on top of the points table with four points and they are followed by the Maldives and Sri Lanka.

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