Bangladesh national women football team will take on their Singapore counterparts in a FIFA Tier-1 Women’s International Football match today.
The match will kick off at 4pm at Birshreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium, Kamalapur.
After half a decade, Bangladesh and Singapore are facing each other when six years back they played in a tournament and that time Singapore were the hosts and just blanked Bangladesh by 3-0.
This time, Bangladesh are the host and obviously will try to take revenge of the defeat, they suffered six years ago.
Singapore, who are better in FIFA rankings with 130 and Bangladesh is on 142 when six years back Singapore were 92 and Bangladesh were 103 in FIFA rankings.
However, Bangladesh women’s team coach Saiful Bari Titu, who took the charge after long server coach Golam Rabbai stepping down from the job highly optimistic to do well in the two-match series and eagerly wants to make a winning start today.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh team were supposed to travel to Lebanon at the end of October to play two FIFA friendly matches after their Asian Games assignment and had also took preparations but due to war crisis of Israel and Palestine, hosts (Lebanon) were forced to cancel the program.
However, this time also Bangladesh team are well prepared to take on Singapore as, the coach Titu and the captain Sabina Khatun told in a press meet on Wednesday.
Titu, former national colour when talking in the press conference said, "It will be a good opportunity for us to play Singapore after the cancellation of a two-match series against Lebanon. We have been keep going on our preparation after the Asian Games. Now we will play two matches, first one on Friday (today) and right now we are focusing on that and I think it’s better to go match by match. Singapore is a bit unknown to us, though we played against them six years back but after a decade teams are not same.”
Replying to a query Titu said, “I know the Singapore coach, he was coach of Mohun Bagan and Churchill Brothers of Kolkata.”
Bangladesh’s captain Sabina said that the two matches would be very challenging.
Sabina, who was also a member of that team in six year ago, recollecting the memory of their 3-0 defeat against Singapore, Bangladesh skipper said that it was a bitter experience against Singapore.
“We lost against Singapore six years ago, now our team is more balanced than the previous squad with some improvements. I think our fans will enjoy two challenging matches, and our target is to prove our worth through recent progresses."
The long time performers and the captain of the Bangladesh national team is very optimistic of winning the series this time at home ground.
Sabina said that their current squad is more balanced than before and technicaly, tacticaly improved an imporoved side.
She expected the fans would come to the ground to support them.
Bangladesh team: Rupna Chakma, Swarna Rani Mandal, Shopna Akter Jili, Sheuli Azim, Shamsunnahar (Sr.), Afeida Khandakar, Masura Parvin, Nilufa Yasmin Nila, Anai Mogini, Mst Surma Jannat, Kohati Kisku, Monika Chakma, Sanjida Akhter, Maria Manda, Shamsunnahar (Jr.), Shaheda Akter Ripa, Ritu Porna Chakma, Sapna Rani, Marzia, Sumaya Matsushima, Tohura Khatun, Sabina Khatun and Most Aklima Khatun.