Host Bangladesh along with India, Nepal and Bhutan will begin their mission to win the SAFF Under-20 Women Football Championship to kick off from Friday.
Bangladesh will take on Nepal in the day’s second match at 7 PM following the first match when India and Bhutan will face each other at 3pm in the four-nation tournament at Shaheed Shipahi Mostafa Kamal Satdium, Komlapur, Dhaka.
All four teams will play the tournament in round robin league basis and the top two of the points table will play the final on February 9.
It will be big challenge for the Bangladesh women, as won the most prestigious football trophy of the South Asian region the SAFF Championship in Nepal last year when they have six players of the SAFF winning squad.
Rupna, Chakma, Shamsunnahar, Shathi Biswas, Eti Rani and Shohagi are the six national team booters in the 23-member squad in the U-20 team, who were the members of the SAFF winning team in Nepal.
The tournament is also a very significant for the players of this team, as they are the future national side who will represent the country to retain the SAFF Championship, they won in 2022.
Bangladesh will start the tournament as the top favourites when the head coach of the team Golam Rabbani Choton is also expecting that his side will play good football and will try heart and soul to win the trophy.
Choton, who has been looking after the team as the head coach of the women’s sides of Bangladesh, when talking to the reporters on Thursday said, “All the teams are strong in the tournament, as I think, so the tournament will be very competitive one. We want to progress match by match and first of all will have to confirm the final.”