Bangladesh open their AFC Under-16 Championship Qualifiers campaign against Yemen in Doha, Qatar today after their first match against United Arab Emirates was canceled following the withdrawal of the latter from the competition. Bangladesh are without a win in the AFC Under-16 Championship Qualifiers for nearly 10 years since their 9-1 win over Palestine in 2007.Since then, the Under-16 boys have conceded 13 defeats in four editions and played out a goalless draw against Indonesia in 2009.
Bangladesh Under-16 boys would be looking to take inspiration from the Under-18 team, who has performed brilliantly in their
first two matches of the ongoing the SAFF Under-18 Championship in Thimpu, Bhutan.
The Under-18 team is now leading the points table with six points after their back-to-back wins over arch-rivals India and the Maldives.
Yemen are now leading the three-team table with a 6-1 win over Qatar and a win against Bangladesh will confirm their berth in the 16-team final round.
In that case, Bangladesh and Qatar will fight for the places of best five runners up from 10 groups to ensure the final round.
The Under-16 boys have watched the match between Yemen and Qatar on Wednesday and they are ready to give their best against Yemen.
‘We have now some ideas about Yemen. We have watched their match against Qatar and found them as very strong opponents. Now we know their strong and weak points and I think the match will be competitive,’ Bangladesh Under-16 coach Parvez Babu.
-With New Age input
