The Bangladesh national football team arrived in Kathmandu, Nepal on Sunday with hopes of winning the upcoming SAFF Championship, a Bangladesh Football Federation official said.
De Kruif’s boys will take part in their first training session today ahead of their opening match against hosts Nepal on August 31.Injured captain Mamunul Islam is expected to join the training session.
‘I’m feeling much better now, as the pain [in my knee] is almost gone’, Mamunul said on Saturday.
‘We have trained very hard, so if everyone can perform up to their potential, then we are destined to have a good tournament. I think our first match against Nepal will be like a final, as it might decide our fate in the event’, Mamunul added.
Striker Wahed Ahmed was optimistic about the team’s chances of success.
‘Everyone is calling our group the “Group of Death”, but if we can make it through the group stage, we have a good chance of reaching the final. The first
match is our big test,’ he said. Bangladesh will then face defending champions India on September 3, before rounding out group-stage play against Pakistan on September 5.
-With New Age input
