Bangladesh national football team head coach Thomas Dooley expects a stern test when his side take on San Marino in a FIFA international friendly on Friday, despite the hosts being ranked at the bottom of the FIFA standings.
The Bangladesh team completed its second training session in San Marino on Wednesday after enduring a long and demanding journey from Dhaka.
Dooley said the players were still recovering from travel fatigue but were gradually stepping up their preparations ahead of the match.
"We have completed our second day of training here in San Marino after a very long and tiring trip," said Dooley. "The players are still recovering from the journey, so we kept the workload light initially and have started increasing the intensity today."
The German-American coach warned against underestimating San Marino, noting the quality of opposition they regularly face in European competitions.
"This will be a very challenging game for us," he said. "Even though they are at the bottom of the rankings, they regularly play against teams such as Italy, Germany and Spain. They are physically strong, competitive and accustomed to a very high level of football."
Dooley also revealed that his squad was yet to be fully assembled, with some players arriving late in camp.
"We are still waiting for a few players to join us, so we will only have a couple of days together as a complete squad before the match. However, the players have shown a very positive attitude. They are excited to be in Europe, and we are doing everything possible to win the game, earn valuable ranking points and gain positive experience," he added.
Team manager Amer Khan highlighted the challenge of adapting to changing weather conditions during the team's preparations.
"The weather has been quite unpredictable," said Amer. "On our first day we trained in cold conditions, but today it is completely different—sunny and quite hot, similar to Bangladesh. We have to be prepared for both situations."
Italy-based forward Fahamedul Islam echoed the team's determination to secure a positive result.
"We are excited to be in San Marino for the first time," said Fahamedul. "Our only target is to win the match and return home with a victory."
Bangladesh's second training session was attended by 22 players, with midfielder Hamza Choudhury absent from the workout.
The UK-based midfielder joined the squad in San Marino after Wednesday's training session, while US-based defender Zayan Ahmed linked up with the team on Tuesday.
The friendly will mark Dooley's first match in charge of Bangladesh since taking over as head coach.