Bangladesh national football team will start their preparation camp for the Bangabandhu Gold Cup under interim coach Saiful Bari Titu at the BKSP in Savar today.
The Bangladesh Football Federation has already announced a 26-member preliminary squad for the tournament, retaining all 23 players, who represented the team in their recent friendly against Japan Under-21s.
The three new additions are— Abahani forward Aminur Rahman Sajib and defensive midfielder Atikur Rahman Fahad and Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club winger Rubel Miah.
The six-nation tournament is scheduled on January 16-27 in Dhaka and Sylhet.
Four teams– Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Bahrain Under-23 team – have confirmed their participation beside Bangladesh while the BFF is still looking for the sixth team.
Titu said he is confident Bangladesh can play at least in the semi-final irrespective of the strength of opponents.
‘It’s a very prestigious tournament for us,’ Titu said on Wednesday. ‘We have already set an initial target of reaching the semi-final.’
All the players are expected to join the training camp today except Jamal Bhuiyan, who is now vacationing in Denmark and may join the camp on January 4.
-With New Age input
