Javier Cabrera, the head coach of Bangladesh's national team, expressed satisfaction with the training camp in Al Taif City, Saudi Arabia, and is confident of his team's preparation for the upcoming FIFA World Cup qualifier against Palestine on March 21 in Kuwait.
Cabrera shared that the camp has been as beneficial as the previous year's, enhancing the team's capabilities. He believes they are now better equipped to face Palestine. Despite a 3-0 loss in their second practice match against Sudan, Cabrera praised his team's resilience. Earlier, they secured a draw against Sudan, who are 127th in the FIFA rankings.
Cabrera acknowledged the physical challenges faced against Sudan but commended his team's tenacity. The positive aspects from these matches are seen as valuable preparation for the physicality expected in the match against Palestine.
"The camp, like the previous year's one, was a great experience for the team and definitely, we are better team than what we were before coming here. We are little closer to the Palestine tie and we will be ready for March 21," Cabrera was quoted as saying in a video footage sent by Bangladesh Football Federation.
"Today [Thursday] we struggled [against Sudan] in mostly the physical aspect. We saw a very aggressive Sudan. We struggled a little bit in building up situation but the team gave a huge fight again. So definitely there were very positive feedbacks and positive outcomes in both games against Sudan which we believe is very similar to Palestine in terms of physicality."
Amer Khan, the manager of Bangladesh's national team, reported that they utilized all players in their second match to evaluate the squad before facing Palestine. He noted that a better result against Sudan would have boosted confidence, but the focus was on testing players in various roles. Despite the serious approach of Sudan, coach Jaiver was content with the team's performance.
Amer is optimistic about Bangladesh's chances against a formidable Palestine team, provided the players maintain focus and avoid distractions such as disputes with officials or errors on the field. He emphasized the importance of concentration for a strong showing against Palestine.
Additionally, Amer mentioned that the team had a rest day and the coaches reviewed footage from the practice matches to prepare further.