do-or-die clash against defending SAFF champions India at the Dasarath Stadium in Kathmandu.
Bangladesh will take on six-time champions India in a do-or-die match of their 10th SAFF Championship campaign today, knowing that anything but a win might put their hopes of progressing through the group stages into jeopardy.
Going 2-0 down in their opening match against Nepal, Bangladesh face the favourites in the group, who already have three points in their bag, having beaten Pakistan 1-0 on Sunday. The match starts at 3:45pm Bangladesh time at the Halchowk Stadium in Kathmandu.
The task at hand for Bangladesh is a daunting one, when one considers the recent record between the teams. The last time Bangladesh managed to beat their mighty neighbours was a decade ago, in the 2003 SAFF Championship, where Bangladesh won 2-1 in extra time to move into the final and lift the title. The most recent meeting of the senior teams was in the 2009 SAFF Championship where Bangladesh lost 0-1.
But after watching India’s not-so-up-to-the-mark performance against Pakistan, Bangladesh coach and players are taking heart that winning against India is not an impossible task. Coach Lodewijk de Kruif said his side were confident and under no pressure before taking on their mighty rivals.
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The expectations about India were a bit more (than what they actually performed). So in that respect, you can say we can have confidence. But at the end of the day, we need three points and we want to achieve something tomorrow,” said the Dutchman. “That will keep us in the tournament or else the game against Pakistan will be of no use.”
De Kruif hinted that he would play the same formation which is 4-2-3-1/4-3-3 but might make a change in his line-up. Midfielder Sohel Rana is fit again to start and might replace Atiqur Rahman in mid-field. Mamunul Islam is still not fully fit, but might come off the bench later in the match, given that he makes a good enough recovery in the hours leading up to the match.
De Kruif’s opposite number and once his mentor Wim Koevermans felt his side were under-par against Pakistan and need to be on their guard against Bangladesh.
“What we played against Pakistan, there’s a huge scope of improvement. We are confident but not complacent” said Koevermans after his side’s training session yesterday. “Bangladesh watched us play. They may have lost the first game but are not out of the championship as yet. Obviously they will come hard at us. It’s their last chance to stay alive. But we need to focus on ourselves.”
Considering the way the two teams played, the fate of the match could be decided in details, how expertly players in each position perform their duties, making the least number of mistakes.
“We have to put pressure (on the opposition) and not give them time to play their game. The match will be decided in details, how much eager our midfielders are to put pressure, how much prepared our defenders are to defend tightly,” said De Kruif.
Bangladesh (probable): Mamun Khan (GK); Nasiruddin Chowdhury (C), Ariful Haque, Wali Faisal, Ashraf Mahmud Linkon; Jamal Bhuiyan, Sohel Rana, Zahid Hossain, Taklis Ahmed, Zahid Hasan Emily; Wahed Ahmed.
Source: The Daily Star
