Focus on World Cup Pre-qualifiers as Bangladesh host Afghanistan

Bangladesh will hope to beat Afghanistan for the first time as the two teams face off in the first of two FIFA Friendly matches at the Bashundhara Kings Arena today.

The match, which will kick off at 5:00pm, will be the first international match to be hosted by a sporting private club, the first time in the history of Bangladesh football.

In the previous eight meetings, the central Asian nation have beaten Bangladesh twice while the six other encounters ended in draws. The last meeting of these two teams ended in a 1-1 draw during a FIFA World Cup Qualifier in Doha in 2011.

The hosts, who will play their first match since an impressive SAFF Championship campaign two months ago, are hoping to show the same spirit and performance in the two matches against the Afghans, with the ultimate aim being October's World Cup Pre-qualifiers against Maldives.

Bangladesh have played eight times against the Lions of Khorasan, losing twice and drawing on six occasions. The last of those matches was during the Qatar World Cup Qualifiers in 2021 in Doha, with the game ending in a 1-1 draw.

Bangladesh coach Javier Cabrera said they want to continue the good work from the SAFF Championship and show everyone that they are an improving side.

"The attitude from the players in training has been very high. I'm very positive with the level of training and the standard of the team. It's a very exciting challenge ahead of us, and an opportunity for us to show all of our fans that we can continue the performance we did in SAFF Championship," the Spaniard said at the pre-match press conference at the Kings Arena yesterday.

Captain Jamal Bhuiyan, who only returned from his club duty in Argentina a couple of days earlier, echoed the coach's sentiment while saying that a good outing against a strong Afghanistan side will prove that they are on the right track.

"Most Afghanistan players play in Europe, some play in India, Malaysia and Indonesia. So they are a strong team, which is good for us because our main match is against the Maldives," the midfielder said.

The Bangladesh skipper also said that playing at the Kings Arena instead of other venues in Bangladesh will give them an advantage in terms of crowd support.

"I can't remember the last time we played in Dhaka. I'm looking forward to playing in Dhaka and for the first international match at the Bashundhara Kings Arena, which is a big thing for everyone.

"What's great about the Kings Arena is that fans are much nearer to the players. So we will feel the atmosphere which is a positive thing," the Bangladesh captain opined.

Afghanistan coach Abdullah Al Mutairi, who was previously coach of Nepal when the Himalayan side drew 1-1 against Bangladesh during the 2021 SAFF Championship, brought his charges to Dhaka on August 26 to prepare for these two matches and one against Philippines next week. However, like his Bangladesh counterpart, Mutairi said his team's target is next month's World Cup Pre-qualifiers where they will face Mongolia.

"Don't ask me who will win," the Kuwaiti national said. "These are just friendly matches. We have come here to prepare for the World Cup Pre-qualifiers….I changed 80-85 percent players when I took charge. So we will take these two matches, especially the first one tomorrow, to judge where we stand as a team."