Booters join camp for Bhutan, Singapore clashes

The Bangladesh national football team is set to begin preparations from Saturday for two upcoming international fixtures, with all members of the 26-member squad except for Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome reporting for camp at the Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka.

Team manager Amer Khan confirmed that Hamza and Shamit are scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on June 2 and June 4, respectively.

Bangladesh will face Bhutan at the National Stadium on Wednesday in a preparatory match ahead of their crucial AFC Asian Cup Qualifier against Singapore on June 10, also at the National Stadium.

The squad will kick off training at 5:00 PM at the country's premier venue where the national team last played in 2020 before renovation works began.

"Everything is positive in the camp. There's a lot of excitement and motivation ahead of both matches," Spanish head coach Javier Cabrera told reporters on Friday. "The Bhutan match is very important—it's our first game back at the stadium in years. It will help us adjust to the conditions and set the tempo for the Singapore clash."

Cabrera also confirmed that Hamza Choudhury is expected to get playing time against Bhutan to help him settle into the squad.

Central defender Tapu Barman expressed confidence in the team's spirit and focus. "The atmosphere around football in the country is inspiring. Each player understands his responsibilities, and we're motivated to achieve good results," said Tapu.

He added that the team aims to top the group at the end of the second round of the Asian Cup Qualifiers. "We must give more than 100 percent. Singapore may be ahead in FIFA rankings, but we believe we have the advantage, especially with home support," said the Bashundhara Kings defender.