Girls face Pak today
Bangladesh will begin their campaign in the inaugural SAFF Under-18 Women's Championship against minnows Pakistan in Bhutan today.
The match will kick off at the Changlimithang Stadium in Thimphu at 7:00pm BST.
Golam Rabbani Choton's charges could ensure their semifinal berth with a victory against Pakistan, thanks to the latter's 12-0 defeat at the hands of Nepal on the opening day of the competition on Friday.
However, Bangladesh will want to win by a big margin, bigger than a 12-goal margin if possible, to ensure that they go into the final match against Nepal on the front foot.
Bangladesh had beaten Pakistan 14-0 in the SAFF U-15 Women's Championship in Bhutan in August this year. 13 of the players from that squad are in this under-18 squad, with some more experienced senior players in the mix. Hence a big-margin victory is not unexpected.
“If we win the first match, we will be through to semis. So we will try win by a big margin. If we win big, we will not be under pressure before the next match,” Choton said about today's match.
The team had a gym and conditioning session on Saturday morning. Later in the day, they took part in a video analysis session before their final practice session.
“We will play our natural game. We have to capitalise on our chances. There is no pressure," Choton added.
Bangladesh will play Nepal on Tuesday. In group A, India opened their account with a 4-0 win over Bhutan. Maldives are the other team in that group.
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