Bangladesh remain in a never-give-up mood despite last week’s heartbreaking home defeat to Hong Kong, China, as they prepare to face the same opposition away at Kai Tak Stadium on Tuesday.
It will be the fourth AFC Asian Cup qualifying fixture for both sides.
The men in red and green aim to turn things around in an uphill bid to stay alive in the race for a place in the final tournament.
With one draw away followed by two consecutive defeats at home, Javier Cabrera’s side sit at the bottom of the table, while Hong Kong lead the four-team group with two wins and a draw.
The previous encounter between the two teams in Dhaka last Thursday ended in a seven-goal (4-3) thriller, which favored Hong Kong after a late stoppage-time winner stunned the home crowd.
Bangladesh committed some crucial defensive blunders on at least three of the goals conceded, including the last-minute winner.
“The last match was competitive. Tomorrow will be the same. It is going to be a tight contest,” predicted Cabrera at the pre-match press conference on Monday.
Key center-back Topu Barman missed the last match after failing to recover from injury, but he said on Saturday that he was fit to play — potentially paving the way for a new-look back four.
Cabrera is likely to make more changes to the lineup, with Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome — who joined the squad late and scored as a substitute in the previous match after just one training session — possibly starting in the away tie.
Team manager Amer Khan, Cabrera, and Topu said upon arrival in Hong Kong that they were determined to win at any cost, regardless of the pressure from an expected full-house home crowd.
Hong Kong will again rely on their naturalized players, including Brazil-born Everton Camargo, who scored their opener in Dhaka, and French-born Raphael Merkies, who netted a hat-trick.
Bangladesh will count heavily on UK-based Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury and Shamit — both of whom scored in the previous game — as they chase their first-ever win over Hong Kong.
