Coach Shafiqul Islam Manik is hoping his charges will be more motivated for the sake of country's image rather than the club when Sheikh Jamal DC take on visiting Seres La Salle FC of Philippines in their second AFC Cup encounter at the Bangabandhu National Stadium today. The match begins at 6:00pm.

Country's new football powerhouse, Sheikh Jamal, have not been in good position in terms of preparation and performance following the departure of a few important players of last season, and a 0-4 drubbing at the hands of Singapore side Tampines Rovers in their last match showed how disorganized the team is at the moment.

Apart from the departure of the players, the recent suspension on national players, uncertainty of transfers of a couple of players and inadequate preparation has put heavy impact on the team's performance in the previous match and the players have reportedly lack of motivation. Manik's main job will be to boost his charges mentally on the eve of this crucial fixture against the Philippines champions.      

“There are some problems regarding the players' transfers, suspension some national players and the call-up for the national team's camp. Due to these problems, the players are mentally down and I have realised it on and off the training ground and it has really had an impact on the players.

“However, we are trying to motivate the players, but if it doesn't motivate the players, then we, coaching staff and club officials, have nothing to do. I think the foreign players are motivated and I will be hoping the local players will finally step up to give their best tomorrow [Tuesday],” said Manik.

Sheikh Jamal DC captain Wedson Anselme also believes his teammates will give their 100 percent as they are not only representing Sheikh Jamal DC, but also representing Bangladesh.

Explaining the reasons behind the 4-0 defeat in the first match, Manik said that the team is not as bad one to concede four goals, but did so due to silly mistakes and lack of concentration of the defenders and the goalkeeper.

“We also got some opportunities to score against Tampines Rovers but we could not avail those,” said Manik. “This time our target is to win the match on home ground and I believe if the players can put their best, it is possible to post a win which we are desperately looking for for a change in the environment of the team.”

Manik's counterpart, Frank Muescan, is upbeat but equally aware of the challenge to take on the home side within 48 hours of arriving here.

“We played well in our first match with much ball possession and proved that we can be at this level. Regarding tomorrow's match, we highly respect the opposition because they are the home team and assume that they are pretty prepared and that they will be stronger than the last match,” Muescan said.