Bangladesh will take on mighty Jordan in their eighth and final World Cup qualifying match at the Amman International Stadium today, with a hope of avoiding more embarrassment.
The match kicks off at 6:30pm Bangladesh time.
In their previous seven matches, Bangladesh earned only one point, four points less than fourth-placed Tajikistan, meaning they will finish Group-B at the bottom irrespective of the outcome of this match.
They have conceded 24 goals and scored only two throughout the disastrous campaign.
Jordan, on the other hand, are now in second place of the Group-B with 13 points, two points behind table-toppers Australia.
The Arab nation has a bright chance of qualifying in the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers, if they can keep their standing till the end.
Bangladesh suffered a massive 0-4 defeat against Jordan, in the home leg of the corresponding fixture on September 8.
It seems highly unlikely for Bangladesh (177), who are 95 places behind Jordan (82) in the current FIFA rankings, to deny Jordan any point in today’s match.
Despite a gulf of difference between the two sides in terms of strength, Bangladesh coach Gonzalo Sanchez Moreno hopes that his charges will give their best against the Jordanians.
This will also be the first time that the Spaniard will stand in the Bangladesh dugout in the World Cup Qualifiers.
‘As they [Jordan] have a clear chance to qualify in the third round of the World Cup Qualifiers, they will take tomorrow’s [today’s] match very seriously,’ said the Spanish coach during the pre-match press conference in Amman.
‘It will be a tough match for my side because Jordan are a very strong side in this part of Asia and it will also be the last chance for us to show some development.
‘I believe my boys will give their best to earn something for the future.’
Moreno also urged his charges not to repeat the same mistakes that they did in their FIFA friendly 1-6 thrashing to United Arab Emirates on March 18.
‘We conceded three goals in the last moment of the match against UAE which extended the margin of defeat,’ Moreno said.
‘We worked a lot to find out the actual reason behind the mix-up and the players also realised that they failed to maintain their tempo throughout the game.
‘To avoid further disaster, we have to play error-less football and have to make fewer mistakes.’
On the other hand, Jordan will play the match under their newly appointed English coach Harry Redknapp, who was given the charge only for their last two matches against Bangladesh and Australia.
The former West Ham United and Tottenham Hotspur coach stated that the last two matches will be very hard task for his charges.
‘It’s a tough task for these two matches,’ said the 69-year-old coach, who is guiding a national side for the first time in his long career.
Jordan need to finish either first in the group or as one of the best second placed teams to confirm their place in the top 12 as well as keeping their World Cup hope alive.
‘I don’t underestimate anybody, we have to beat Bangladesh first, then play Australia,’ said Redknapp.
-With New Age input
