Booters face tough Tajikistan challenge
Bangladesh have been pitted against Tajikistan in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers play-off. The draw of the two-round play-off featuring 11 teams was held at the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
Of the 11 participating teams, who were placed 29th to 39th in the recently-concluded second round of the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers, eight teams after playing the two-round play-off, will qualify for the third round -- which will start in 2017 -- where 16 more teams are waiting to take part.
Interestingly both Tajikistan and Bangladesh were in the same group of the World Cup and Asian Cup Qualifiers and they finished fourth and fifth in a five-team group, with five and one points respectively. In two meetings, Bangladesh played a 1-1 draw against Tajikistan at home before suffering a massive 5-0 defeat in their away match.
Initially ten teams, aside from 39th-placed Bhutan, will play on a home-and-away basis play-off and the winners will advance to the Qualifiers, while five losers and Bhutan will play the second-round play-offs, from where a further three teams will progress to the 24-team third round.
If Bangladesh lose to Tajikistan on aggregate in the first round play-off, they will then have another chance.
Bangladesh will take on Tajikistan on June 2 in the away match before hosting them on June 7. The second round play-off matches will be played on September 6 and October 11.
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