Bangladesh take on visiting Nepal in the first match of two-match FIFA Int’l Women’s Football Series scheduled to be held tomorrow (Thursday) at Birshreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the city’s Kamalapur .

State-owned Bangladesh Television will telecast the match live that kicks off at 5.30 pm.

The Bangladesh eve football team is going to play the two international matches after long nine months since their SAFF Women’s Championship engagement held in Nepal in September last year. The girls in red and green won the trophy of the SAFF for the first time under women’s team’s experienced former head coach Goloam Robbani Choton.

Addressing at a pre match press conference held today (Wednesday) at Bangladesh Football Federation’s (BFF) conference room, Bangladesh team’s head coach Mahbubur Rahman Litu said the team is now in good shape at the moment and hoped the girls would continue their impressive form in the field as they showed in the last SAFF Championship.

He informed that some players have minor injury problem but they are recovering and almost all the players are fit at the moment and prepared to play the matches.

Litu said as the girls would play the two matches in the home soil, so they would get the home ground advantage and try to give their best to win the matches against Nepal.

Bangladesh women’s team’s captain Sabina Khatun said though they would miss service of some key players who were the part of the last SAFF squad, but they are upbeat to take to the field to protect the honor of the country.

Commenting about the team’s former head coach Choton, who recently resigned from the post of head coach, Sabina said it’s the reality which we all will have to accept… we all miss him (Choton), but the present condition of the team is not so bad in his absence at the moment. Overall it was the professional part of the players which all will have to admit it.”

The goal-machine striker Sabina said the players have good bondage with the team’s current coach Litu who has been working with the players for a long time and hoped the team would be able to perform well in the field under the new head coach.

AFC and BFF’s member and women’s football wing’s chairman Mahfuza Akter Kiron, who were also present at the press conference, informed that the spectators would be allowed to enter the stadium without ticket so that they can inspire the girls during the match. -BSS

Bangladesh squad: Rupna Chakma, Swarna Rani Mandal, Sathi Biswas, Masura Parvin, Mst Surma Jannat, Afeida Khandaker, Shamsunnahar (Sr.), Sheuli Azim, Nilufa Yasmin Nila, Anai Mogini, Maria Manda, Monika Chakma, Shohagi Kisku, Sapna Rani, Ritu Porna Chakma, Sanjida Akter, Marzia, Sabina Khatun (captain), Srimoti Krishna Rani Sarkar, Tohura Khatun, Shaheda Akter Ripa, Most Aklima Khatun and Sumaya Matsushima.