Eying to cross the qualification hurdle the practice of the Bangladesh Under-20 Women’s footballers have been going on full swing since a day after reaching in Laos.
The Qualifying round of H Group of the AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup will kick off from tomorrow in the capital of Laos.
Bangladesh will begin their campaign with taking on the hosts Laos tomorrow and will play the second match against Timor Leste on August 8 and will face off the favourites South Korea on August 10.
It’s a great challenge for the U-20 team when they going to compete in the age group following he senior team’s qualification in the final round of the AFC overwhelming the favourites Myanmar and Bahrain.
Meanwhile, the U-20 squad comprised with nine national colours, so the team is enough strong to fight for the qualification in the final round, will be held in Thailand in 2026.
Bangladesh captain Afeida Khandakar looked very much optimistic ahead to leave for Laos, as she said that they were going Laos with the target to qualify,
Peter Butler, the head coach of the team said, “We are participating one after another competitions.
Captain Afeida said, “We have no enough time to prepare ourselves due to taking part in the tournaments one after another. But we are keenly following the coach’s direction and taking preparation. In this competition South Korea, one of the powerhouses in Asian football are also in our Group. But we are going Laos with the target to qualify.”
Peter Butler also are very much cautious about South Korea and he has also information about the team.
“We will play three matches - Laos, Timor Leste and South Korea. I think Korea is one of the best teams in the age group level. Their U-17 team played in the quarterfinal stage in last Under-17 World Cup and this team is comprised with most of the players of that competition.”
But the English coach Butler sounded quite positive about his team's mental and physical shape for this crucial campaign. He, however, said that there are a couple of fitness issues within the team.
"There are one or two little injuries, one with fever. Other than that they trained well this morning. The girls know how I work. They always respond extremely well," Butler added, in a video message shared by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).
The top teams from the eight groups along with three second-best finishers will join hosts Thailand in the final round, which will be held in April next year.
