Booters in Thailand with eyes on Laos
The Bangladesh national football team left for Thailand yesterday for a 10-day preparation camp for the first round of joint qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup against Laos with a positive frame of mind, eyeing a victory in the away fixture.
Bangladesh will play the away match on June 6 before hosting the hosting Southeast Asian nation in Dhaka on June 11. The winner after the two legs will advance to the second round of the qualifiers while the losers will sit almost idle in the next two years except for invitational tournaments/matches.
“Laos are a known opponent. If we can give our best against Laos, we can produce good results. I am personally feeling that we will win the match,” national striker Nabib Newaj Jibon said before the team’s departure yesterday. “We have to ensure that we don’t lose the away match even if we don’t manage to win it because we will play the second match on our home ground.”
Jibon is in the peak of his form having scored 10 goals for Abahani in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League, and the team management will definitely bank on him for a vital role upfront to reduce the pressure of the defence, which will miss key centre-back Tapu Barman.
“I believe in myself. I can get goals against Laos if I can transfer my domestic form to that match. Besides, I have experience of playing against Laos twice, so I know how they play and how they defend,” said Jibon.
Experienced midfielder Mamunul Islam is also optimistic about producing a good result against Laos, a side who never beat Bangladesh in the past.
“I think the away match against Laos is the final match for us. If we can beat them in the away match, 80 percent job will be done and we will remain in advantageous position in Dhaka leg,” said the former captain.
“If we can show our natural performance, then we can beat Laos.”
“The big thing is that we never lost to them. We had played a 2-2 draw against Laos in the last meeting on their home ground,” said Mamunul who believes Bangladesh are putting consistent performances under English coach Jamie Day.
Riyadul Hasan is a new face in the 23-member squad. The 20-year-old from Chandpur has been included in place of Tapu.
“After playing in the AFC U-23 Championship Qualifiers in Bahrain, I was expecting a call to the national team and the dream has now come true. Playing for the national team is a matter of pride and I am looking forward to delivering a good performance to secure the place,” said the Saif SC defender, who has been playing in the Bangladesh Premier League since last season.
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