Hosts Bangladesh will take on visiting Nepal in a FIFA international friendly at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Thursday night.
The match will serve as a key preparation fixture for Bangladesh’s upcoming AFC Asian Cup qualifying clash against India, scheduled to be held at the same venue on November 18.
Bangladesh are yet to register a win in the Asian Cup qualifiers, with all eyes now fixed on the high-stakes encounter against regional rivals India. The first leg in India ended in a goalless draw, and the men in red and green are determined to secure victory in the home leg.
To achieve this, head coach Javier Cabrera has termed the Nepal friendly as a crucial preparatory phase. The Spanish tactician hinted that he plans to give bench players more game time to build squad depth ahead of the India tie.
Cabrera has recently faced criticism from fans regarding his tactics and player selections in the last two matches. However, he expressed optimism that a win against India would help change public perception.
“Winning against India would be the best gift to the supporters,” said Cabrera ahead of the Nepal encounter.
Bangladesh also faced Nepal in their last FIFA friendly earlier this year — an away fixture that ended in a goalless draw in the absence of key midfielders Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome.
A second friendly had been scheduled three days later in early September, but it was postponed due to the Gen Z movement in Nepal.
Following that, Bangladesh played two Asian Cup qualifiers against Hong Kong, both at home and away, losing both matches narrowly.
With Hamza and Shamit back in the squad this time and the advantage of home support, captain Jamal Bhuiyan and his teammates will hope for a morale-boosting win over Nepal. Hamza joined the national camp on Monday, while Shamit arrived the following night.
Fans will be eager to see the midfield duo in action, along with a possible debut for Cuba Mitchell — the former Sunderland youth midfielder recently called up to the national camp for the first time. Cabrera brought in Cuba last Sunday to replace the injured Mohammad Ibrahim.
Nepal, meanwhile, will be led by newly appointed head coach Hari Khadka, a former national team star and longtime technical director of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).
Khadka took over after Australian coach Matt Ross resigned on October 28, with Nepal’s Asian Cup qualifier against Malaysia fast approaching. Within days of taking charge, Khadka trimmed his initial 35-man camp down to 23 players.
Nepal have lost all four of their Asian Cup qualifying matches so far and have been forced to play their “home” games away due to the suspension of their national stadium by the AFC. They will face Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur on the same day Bangladesh host India.
Both Bangladesh and Nepal will look to end their poor runs — Bangladesh are winless in their last four matches, while Nepal are without a victory in their last six — as the two South Asian rivals aim to turn their fortunes around.
