Tariq, too, likely to miss Palestine matches

Bangladesh national team would most likely be without Tariq Raihan Kazi in the away and home World Cup Qualifiers against Palestine due to an ankle injury suffered by the Finland-born Bangladeshi central defender.

Tariq suffered an ankle sprain during the Federation Cup match against Fortis FC on February 6, leading him to miss two Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches against Bangladesh Police FC and Rahmatganj MFS. He will further miss the Bashundhara Kings' ninth-round BPL match against Sheikh Russel KC on Friday.

None of the officials from Bashundhara Kings or the national football team were willing to comment on Tariq's current situation. However, a source confirmed to this reporter that Tariq was undergoing rehabilitation and would need five to six weeks off until the middle of March to return to the ground.

Tariq's five-to-six-week absence means he will miss the national football team's forthcoming two-week training camp in Saudi Arabia, which is slated for March 2–17, ahead of Bangladesh's away match against Palestine on March 21 and home match on March 27. The preliminary squad for these two matches will be declared following the completion of BPL's ninth round of matches on Saturday.

Earlier on Tuesday, national team's Spanish coach Javier Cabrera stated that striker Sheikh Morsalin will miss both Palestine matches due to a leg injury.