Bangladesh will look to end their inaugural FIFA ASEAN Cup campaign on a positive note when they face hosts Indonesia in their final Group A match at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta today.
The match will kick off at 6:30pm Bangladesh time, with the two Group A matches taking place simultaneously.
Bangladesh have already been eliminated from contention for both the final and the third-place playoff after suffering defeats to Malaysia and Singapore in their opening two matches. They lost 3-0 to Malaysia before going down 1-0 to Singapore, but head coach Thomas Dooley saw encouraging signs in the second game, particularly in his team's overall performance.
Indonesia, meanwhile, still have a place in the final to fight for. They and Malaysia entered the final matchday level on four points, with Malaysia holding the advantage on goal difference and goals scored. Indonesia therefore need to better Malaysia's result to finish top of the group.
That makes today's contest a particularly demanding assignment for Bangladesh, who face a side 65 places higher in the FIFA rankings. Indonesia will also have home support behind them at the 77,000-plus-capacity stadium.
Indonesia, however, will be without midfielder Thom Haye, who is suspended following his red card in the previous match. FIFA's preview identified Indonesia's Joey Pelupessy and Bangladesh's Shamit Shome as one of the key individual battles, with Shome having started both of Bangladesh's opening matches.
For Bangladesh, the match represents another opportunity for Dooley to assess his squad against stronger opposition ahead of the SAFF Championship in Dhaka in November.
The German-American coach has repeatedly stressed that the ASEAN Cup is part of Bangladesh's preparation for the home regional tournament. On the eve of the Indonesia game, he highlighted the difference between the two countries' player pools, pointing out that Indonesia have a much larger base and increasingly have players competing in European leagues.
“Our games here are for learning. And then when we get back home, we need to win the SAFF tournament,” Dooley said.
Bangladesh can also continue integrating their overseas-based players. Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome and Farhaan Ali Wahid are among the expatriate players brought into the squad, while Farhaan's finishing ability has been identified by Dooley as one of the qualities he wants to see from the England-based forward.
Captain Jamal Bhuiyan, meanwhile, has urged the team to concentrate on its own progress rather than results involving other teams.
After two defeats, Bangladesh have little at stake in terms of the competition's standings, but a positive performance against the hosts would provide a valuable conclusion to their ASEAN Cup experience and another test before they return home for the SAFF Championship.