U-16s face Yemen test
Bangladesh launch their AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers campaign today as they take on Yemen at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Doha after their first match against the United Arab Emirates was cancelled due to UAE's withdrawal.
The boys in red and green are expected to take inspiration from the U-18 team and U-16 women's team and put up performances similar to what the U-18s are displaying in the SAFF U-18 Championship and what the girls showed against Japan and Australia in the AFC U-16 Women's Championship.
However the ground reality remains that the U-16 boys have been winless in the competition for nearly 10 years. Their last win came in the 2007 edition when they beat Palestine 9-1. Since then the U-16s have suffered 13 defeats across four editions with a goalless draw against Indonesia in the 2009 edition the only result to their credit.
Yemen are currently on top of the three-team table following a 6-1 win over Qatar and a win over Bangladesh would confirm their place in the 16-team final round, leaving Bangladesh and Qatar to fight for a place among the five best runners-up from the 10 groups in order to advance.
Anwar Parvez Babu's charges watched the match between Yemen and Qatar on Wednesday and they have prepared accordingly.
"We now have some idea about Yemen, who are very strong opponents, because we watched their match against Qatar. Now we know their strong and weak points and I think the match will be a competitive one as our boys are ready to give their best effort," said Parvez.
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