Motivated Bangladesh U-20 national football team will start their SAFF U-20 Championship campaign when they face Sri Lanka in their opening group A match scheduled to be held on Tuesday at ANFA Complex in Nepal.
The match kicks off at 3.15 pm (BST). Prior to the first match, the Bangladesh team found very much confident and the boys in red and green wants to start the tournament with win against Sri Lanka, who earlier lost their group opening match against host Nepal.
Ahead of the first match, Bangladesh head coach AKM Maruful Haque said: “Before arriving in Nepal we said we want to become champions in this tournament our team played final in the last tournament. I have noticed the sacrifice hard work and dedication among the boys and I think we are still in the right track … the boys already worked on weak and strong points of Sri Lanka and I shared our game plan and strategy with them. As the first match is always important, so I hope we’ll able to make a winning start in the championship.”
Bangladesh team captain Mehedi Hasan Srabon said the first match is always important and everybody expect to start the tournament with win.
Srabon said Sri Lanka is a good team and they are not taking their rival lightly. The Bangladesh skipper thinks that winning the first match take the team more close to the final.
He also hopeful to snatch a good result for the country and able to show maximum effort in the ground.
Bangladesh, the three times runners-up in 2017, 2019 and 2022 edition of the championship, will meet host Nepal in their ultimate group match on August 22.
Bangladesh U-20 team – Mehedi Hasan Srabon, Asif, Ismail Hossain Mahin, Imran Khan, Mohammad Azizul Hoque, Ananto, Shakil Ahad Topu, Rajib Hossain, Rostom Islam Dukhu Mia, Parvej Ahmed, Kamacai Marma Aky, Asadul Islam Sakib, Chandon Roy, Ashraful Haque Asif, Mohsin Ahmed, Iftiar Hossain, Rabby Hossen Rahul, Razu Ahmed Zisan, Hossain Mohammad Arian, Asadul Molla, Iftasam Rahman Jidan, Mirajul Islam, Piash Ahmmed Nova and Moinul Islam Moin.