After an impressive performance in the first match against China, Bangladesh face North Korea in their second group match of the AFC Women's Asian Cup scheduled to be held at Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia on Friday, reports BSS.
The match kicks off at 8 am (Bangladesh time).
This is the first time the two teams have faced each other in international football. Powerhouse North Korea is the three-time champion of the Asian Cup. They are the ninth team in the world FIFA ranking.
Bangladesh's position in the FIFA ranking is towards the bottom of 112th.
North Korea, who started their Group B campaign by beating Uzbekistan 3-0 in Sydney, is at the top of the table with three points. Bangladesh started their campaign with 2-0 defeat to China and currently stands third in the table.
Following Bangladesh's brave performance in their first match against China, the Afeida and Co. have gained much confidence to and preparing for the tough challenge to face North Korea.
However, the Bangladesh coach Piter James Butler, did not want to dream big of playing in the quarter-final right now.
Addressing at a pre-match press conference held at the conference room of Western Sydney Stadium today (Thursday), Butler said North Korea is the highest-ranked team in Bangladesh's group ...we are here again to face a very, very strong team like North Korea. They are a very technically skilled and really
talented team. If you look at their FIFA rankings, they are probably one of the favorites for this tournament."
"I'm a realist and I know that winning this match will be a big challenge for us in many ways. But the main thing is to give your best and keep your individuality," he added.
The English coach said he expects improved performance from his girls like the first match so that they can lean in each match. The coach thinks that that this is an educational opportunity for his girls to learn from this tournament.
Bangladesh Skipper Afeida Khandakar said their aim would be not to repeat the same mistakes they did in the first match against China.
She said North Korea is strong team and they would carry their coach's instruction in the tough match against Korea.
The North Korean coach also explained Bangladesh's strength, saying, "Their attack is very fast.
"They (Bangladesh) are very skilled and sharp. So in the next match, our defense will have to be very focused so that they (Bangladesh) don't get any chance to score. The North Korean coach said his team would focus on their defense to stop Bangladesh players in Friday's match.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh continued their preparations with a focused training session this morning at Jubilee Stadium from before their second match against Korea.
The session began with warm-up routines followed by possession-based exercises aimed at maintaining rhythm and ball control.
The coaching staff then focused on tactical preparations with both defensive and attacking set-piece drills. Training concluded with finishing exercises as the players sharpened their attacking movements ahead of the upcoming fixture.
Bd-Pratidin English/ AM
