Bangladesh national football team skipper Jamal Bhuiyan said they are only focused on winning the match against India as the captain was found less bothered of the ranking gap between the two teams.
Bangladesh take on arch-rivals India in their opening Group C match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers, scheduled to be held Tuesday at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong, India.
“Honestly we don’t think about the ranking, my focus is only on how to win the match. I think this is the best squad so far as the coach mentioned. Hamza’s (Choudhury) presence is definitely a big boost for us and we only want three points and are prepared to give our best effort against India,” Jamal said at the pre-match press conference in Shillong Monday.
Replying to a question, Jamal said the mentality of all the team members are the same as they are focused on winning, but that if the match ends in a draw it would be okay.
The Bangladesh skipper while replying to another query said: “Hamza’s inclusion in the squad is definitely a positive sign but the local players have also prepared for the game. The mentality has been changed because the way the players are playing is totally different since the coach took charge of the team. Lots of things have been changed and the players are now more ready than two years ago where they were in SAFF (Championship).”
When asked if he feels any extra pressure as the football fans are expecting a victory from Bangladesh, Jamal admitted that the game against India is of course a pressure one but at the same time they are cool and want to win the match.
Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera, who was also present in the press conference, said the game against India is going to be very exciting.
He said the players are very much motivated and have been training hard in the last 24 days.
He added, "Boys are very confident and expecting a very tight game against India and hope to make things very difficult for the home side."
