The Bengal Tigers must find a way to improve their scoring ability when they take on an inexperienced Bahrain Under-23 side today in the first semi-final of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup at the Bangabandhu National stadium. The match kicks off at 5:30pm and BTV and Channel 9 will telecast it live.
Having earned a 4-2 victory against Sri Lanka in the tournament opener, Bangladesh managed to finish as Group A champions and thus avoid the best team from Group B in the last four but their performance in the last two matches leaves a lot to be desired.
The hosts’ only victory in the fourth edition of the tournament was devoid of any defensive organisation while the attacking display in the other two matches was far from satisfactory. However, despite the inconsistent performances, the home side will head into today’s match as the favourites considering the lack of professionalism and inexperience of the opposition.
Even then, Bangladesh head coach Maruful Haque has all the respect in the world for the middle eastern nation.
If Maruful does not spring any major surprises in the last minute then Shakhawat Hossain Rony and Nabib Newaj Jibon are likely to start upfront. The attacking duo have to shoulder the majority of the goal-scoring responsibility while at the other end of the field, Ashraful Islam Rana is all set for another appearance between the sticks after his impressive display in their last match against Malaysia XI (Felda United).
Meanwhile, winger Zahid Hossain, who missed the previous game due to disciplinary reasons, is unlikely to start today. In his place, Mithun Chowdhury is likely to get the nod.
On the other hand, Bahrain’s squad comprises mostly of players who are job-holders and have very little experience of playing abroad.
Admitting that the Bengal Tigers are better “physically and in terms of quality”, Bahrain U-23 head coach Marjan Eid yesterday said, “The semi-final would be a good opportunity for my team and the players. It would be an open game. Hopefully it will be a good game for my young players to get experience.
“The most difficult thing in such a tournament is the recovery of the players. It is difficult but this is the way for all teams and we have to adapt to this. I know it will be tough for our players but we have to do our best and try to get the best result we can from the game.”
Bangladesh, placed 182nd in the rankings, have only played the 124th ranked Bahrain senior side once in history, which the former lost 2-0.
