The Bangladesh Olympic (U-23) team is all set to kick off their South Asian Games 2019 football campaign with only three days of preparation, taking on Bhutan in the event’s inaugural game at the Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal Monday at 1pm.
The two national teams played each other twice in friendly matches in Dhaka on September 29 and October 3, with Bangladesh winning them both comfortably by 4-1 and 2-0, respectively. Both teams have retained most of the senior members in the SAG squad.
The two teams were also placed in the same group at the SA Games 2016 in Guwahati, India, where the game ended in a 1-1 draw. Bhutan exited in the group stage, while Bangladesh won the bronze by beating Maldives in the third-place decider. Bangladesh have never lost to Bhutan in this competition.
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Bangladesh’s head coach Jamie Day seemed happy despite the short preparation time.
“We had three days of training, which went very well. The players are in good shape and they are looking forward to the game. Hopefully, we can do well over the next ten days,” he said
However, the high altitude of Nepal would provide Bhutan an advantage, admitted both coaches.
“It is going to be a tough game Tuesday, because they have a good chance to do well here. It depends on how we perform on match day. We respect every team, but we have to be aware of our performance as well,” said Day.
"Our advantage is the altitude in Nepal, which is the same as Bhutan," said Bhutan head coach Pema Dorji.
"Our league finished on November 23, so we hardly got one week of preparation time. The players are fit because they were training at the clubs," he added.
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Pema further said the squad has 12 players from the senior team, including captain Chencho Gyeltshen.
The star striker said: "We know Bangladesh are a good side, who have improved a lot. They are technically and tactically sound, so we have prepared and came here to get three points against them."
Regarding how his teammates were adjusting to the high altitude in Kathmandu, Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan said: "The first few days were little bit different, but now we are used to it. We have to adapt to play in these conditions. Hopefully we will do well."
Bangladesh, who trained at Armed Force Police ground yesterday morning, will play Maldives in the second match Tuesday.
