Bangla-desh will be looking to hold UAE to a draw in their second Group E game to keep alive their dreams of reaching the second round in the Asian Games football. The match will be played at the Ying Dong Stadium, Guangzhou, today.
A draw against the UAE and a win against Hong Kong in the next match may see Bangladesh through to the second round as one of the four best third-placed teams. The top two teams from each of the six groups and the four best third-placed teams will progress to the knockout phase of the competition.
However, the harsh reality is that it would be a very tough job for the Bangladesh booters and they have to lift their game to achieve their dream. Assistant coach Saiful Bari Titu admitted the rough ride. ‘UAE play with three attackers in a 4-3-3 formation, they will be going all-out to seal their first victory after their 1-1 draw with Hong Kong. We will try a defensive strategy,’ said Titu.
Aminul will be standing under the bar as Himel is out for three weeks with a shoulder injury he sustained in the first game against Uzbekistan. Speedy
midfielder Zahid Hossian and left-back Atiqur Rahman Mishu are fully fit to be in the first eleven.
Titu said head coach Robert Rubcic has asked the players to run more and keep possession of the ball. ‘He said the players were not running much and unnecessarily lost possession in the previous match, he told the players to be more careful.’
Titu hinted that Rubcic may change three or four players from the starting eleven of the first match.
