The Bangladesh national football team will take the field today (March 25) with high hopes of ending their 22-year winless streak against India in their first-leg (away) match of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers’ final round. The match will kick off at 7:30 pm (BST) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
The highly motivated men in red and green, under head coach Javier Cabrera, are determined to break their drought against their South Asian neighbors. Their last victory over India came in the semifinals of the SAFF Gold Cup 2003 in Dhaka, where they secured a crucial 2-1 win.
“I think it’s going to be a very exciting game. We are very motivated. The team has been training and working hard for 24 days. We are confident, and we expect a very tight game. Hopefully, we will make things very difficult for India,” Cabrera said in a pre-match press conference on Monday (March 24).
Cabrera is no stranger to facing India, having coached Bangladesh’s U-23 team in the Asian Games 2022 in Hangzhou, China. In that match, Bangladesh narrowly lost 0-1, with Sunil Chhetri scoring the decisive goal in the 85th minute.
“I had the experience in the Asian Games. Sunil was there,” he recalled.
“We know that our record against India at the senior level is not the best. Since 2003, we haven’t been able to win against them. But we are confident that we are stronger than ever. This is the strongest squad we’ve ever had—not just in terms of performance, but also mentally, we feel very strong,” he added.
Bangladesh is also excited to field Hamza Choudhury, the first Bangladesh-origin footballer to play in the English Premier League. Cabrera is expected to include him in the starting lineup, hoping for a strong contribution from the current Sheffield United midfielder.
“I think it’s even more exciting having Hamza and having Sunil back. It’s going to be a really competitive match. But it’s not just about them,” Cabrera added.
Bangladesh captain Jamal Bhuyan, who was also present at the press conference, shared his thoughts on the match, taking an emotional approach.
“When you play with your elder brother, you always want to win. We are the same—we want to win against India,” he said.
Meanwhile, India’s head coach Manolo Marquez and defender Sandesh Jhingan are placing great importance on their first group match, as India aims to qualify for the main stage of the AFC Asian Cup 2027, set to take place from January 7 to February 5 next year in Saudi Arabia.
“Obviously, it’s very important, but we have six games. We need to finish at the top of our group because that’s our only way to qualify. Every game matters, and since this is the first match, it’s always a little more nerve-racking. But our goal is to secure maximum points and make it to the Asian Cup,” said Manolo.
Jhingan acknowledged the intensity of matches against Bangladesh, stating that both teams always bring passion and high energy to the pitch.
“Having played against them (Bangladesh) a few times, one thing we know—not just in football but in any sport—is that whenever we face Bangladesh, given that they are our neighbors, we can expect a lot of intensity, passion, and adrenaline. It’s going to be a competitive game. Regardless of how it plays out, our focus is on getting the result we need,” he said.
Bd-Pratidin English/ARK
