Bangladesh Premier League champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi will leave here for Singapore today ahead of their AFC Cup final round opener against Singapore League runners-up side Tampines Rovers, scheduled for this Tuesday. The 18-member squad will fly today at noon.
The Dhanmondi-based outfit will get only two days to adapt with the foreign conditions before their game which will be held at the Jalan Besar stadium.
The clash against Tampines Rovers will be Shafiqul Islam Manik’s first match as the head coach and the veteran tactician is optimistic of making a positive start. Manik however, only got the opportunity to conduct training with a full-strength squad yesterday despite starting preparation for the AFC Cup a couple of weeks ago.
“I only had the full squad for a day. Everybody is fit and raring to go with the exception of the Vietnamese player who has slight fitness problem. It would have been better if I had gotten a few more days for preparation. But I am hopeful of a good start,” Manik told Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
Following the conclusion of the 12th South Asian Games 2016 recently, Jamal Bhuiyan, Yeasin Khan, Sohel Rana and Yeamin Munna joined the national camp yesterday. Foreign attacking trio Haitian forward Wedson Anselme, Nigerian striker Emeka Darlington and Gambian midfielder Landing Darboe will also be at Manik’s disposal.
The former Mohammedan and Muktijoddha coach added, “We will still be without the services of Mamunul [Islam] and Nasir [Uddin Chowdhury]. But our three foreigners Wedson, Emeka and Landing are fully fit and they cannot wait to play the game.”
Manik informed that he was supposed to leave one or two days earlier to watch their first-match opposition in action but due to visa complications, he missed the opportunity.
“They are a very good team with quality foreign players and a few national players,” he said.
Sheikh Jamal’s second match will be at home against the Philippines on March 8. The Bangladesh top-flight champions will face Malaysian club Selangor the following week.
