The Bangladesh women’s national football team squad for two international friendly matches against Thailand was revealed on Monday as head coach Peter Butler stressed the need to face stronger opposition before his side’s AFC Women’s Asian Cup debut in Australia next year.
The two international matches against hosts Thailand are scheduled for October 24 and 27. The women in red and green will leave for Bangkok on Tuesday morning.
At a press conference at the BFF House, Butler stated that the matches would be more about performance than results.
Bangladesh began their preparations about three weeks ago at KEPZ in Chittagong before returning to Dhaka on Friday.
“We covered a lot of ground and built strong team spirit,” Butler said about the training camp.
Butler, who guided Bangladesh to their maiden Asian Cup finals, also reiterated his desire for Bangladesh to face stronger opponents in the lead-up to the Asian Cup.
“What I want is a competitive performance. I want to see players doing things at the international level because it’s a big step up for everybody,” the English coach added.
Bangladesh Squad:
Goalkeepers: Rupna Chakma, Mile Akter, Swarna Rani Mandal
Defenders: Afeida Khandakar (Captain), Kohati Kisku, Nabiran Khatun, Ruma Akter, Shamsunnahar (S), Halima Akther, Joynob Bibi Rita, Sheuli Azim
Midfielders: Maria Manda, Monika Chakma, Munki Akhter, Sapna Rani
Forwards: Umehla Marma, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Mosammat Sultana, Mosammat Sagorika, Tohura Khatun, Shamsunnahar (J), Ritu Porna Chakma, Sinha Jahan Shikha
