Cabrera expects Hamza to play for Bangladesh from first match of Asian Cup Qualifiers

Bangladesh football team's head coach Javier Cabrera told media today that he expects Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury in the side from the start of the first match of the AFC Asian Cup in March next year.

The Spaniard said he would have preferred to have the England-born midfielder in the side in the upcoming FIFA friendlies against Maldives next month but since the midfielder is still recovering from a shoulder injury, he is willing to wait for the star player.

Bangladesh host Maldives in two FIFA friendlies on November 13 and 16, the two fixtures potentially bearing huge consequences for the team's chances of improvement in FIFA ranking.

Hamza is currently recovering from a shoulder injury he suffered during a Leicester training session on October 5. There is also some paperwork remaining regarding Hamza's representation in the Bangladesh team.

When asked about the update on Hamza, Cabrera said: "What is positive is that he is going to join us soon. If you have to choose, I would prefer him to join now and even more when we are playing at home and that he will feel our supporters…But we have to make sure that he joins for the first game of Asian Cup Qualifiers that's for sure."

"The good thing is he has finally decided that he wants to play for us. The positive thing is he is going to play for Bangladesh national team," Cabrera said, the first time a definitive statement on Hamza from the Bangladesh team's head coach.

Bangladesh, currently ranked 185th in the world, will play six matches in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, starting on March 25, with the last match to be played on March 31, 2026.

Cabrera expressed his confidence regarding win against Maldives in both matches in order to make sure they get a favourable draw.

"It's a difficult challenge for us. We are very happy we are playing home against them. We are very positive that we can get as many wins against them as possible, possibly two wins.

"If we win both of the games, we will most possibly enter Pot 3 of the Asian Cup Qualifiers. That will be an important event in the run-up to the next year's fixtures," the Spaniard added.

Cabrera also informed that he would start the training camp for the Maldives friendlies with 14/15 players on November 1 before players from Bashundhara Kings join on November 14.