Bangladesh will begin their SAFF Championship campaign Thursday when they face formidable Lebanon in the Group B opener at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru.
Kicking off at 4pm Bangladesh time, T Sports will telecast the game live.
The Bengal Tigers' preparation for the 14th edition of the regional competition has been good, having beaten Cambodian top-tier club Tiffy Army before defeating the senior national team at their backyard in Phnom Penh.
With that said, 99th ranked Lebanon will be an altogether different challenge for the men in red and green, who are languishing in 192nd in the latest Fifa rankings.
Lebanon are debutants in the competition and one of two non-South Asian teams invited to take part, the other being Kuwait.
“We can promise this that the team will compete at their 100%, that's for sure, then the result at the end, that only doesn't depend on us, obviously Lebanon are a very strong team and they will do their best to get three points but for sure we are ready to fight for at least one point,” said Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera on the eve of the game.
Since 2009, Bangladesh have failed to advance past the group stage at the tournament labelled the “World Cup of South Asia”.
Following the Lebanon clash, they will take on the Maldives this Sunday (4pm kick-off) before concluding their group phase fixtures against Bhutan Wednesday (8pm).
The semi-finals will be held on July 1 with the final taking place on July 4.
In the opening day of the competition Wednesday, India blanked Pakistan 4-0 in Group A riding on a Sunil Chhetri hat-trick, while Kuwait beat Nepal 3-1.
In their bid to progress from Group B, Bangladesh have been training on astro-turf pitches in the southern Indian city but Spanish coach Cabrera said it will not make much of a difference come matchday.
“It's not the most convenient thing but there is no other option. All the training facilities they are proposing here are astro-turf, the three of them, so at the end it's always rather to train than not training,” said Cabrera.
“Obviously we do less duration of practice hours, less exercises, we try to look after the players with the physiotherapists and the doctors. So it should not have a very big impact. Obviously the pitch will be quicker than the turf but it's okay, there's nothing to worry about.”
Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuiyan meanwhile, pointed to the fact Lebanon have played four matches in the span of 12 days and that it might work to their advantage.
“They played four matches in the last 12 days, we know they may be a bit tired, because four matches in the space of 12 days is not easy, so there will be an advantage there,” said Jamal.
“We took good preparation, we practiced well, we ate well, now for the final exam, we want to pass, of course we want to win first of all, but we will be happy if we can take one point.
“They are almost 90 (93) places ahead of us, of course we will be happy with one point even though our target will be three points. We know it will be a tough match because Lebanon are a strong side.”
