Bangladesh take on Nepal today

Dhaka, 13 Nov - Bangladesh take on Nepal in the lone FIFA International Friendly match scheduled to be held at the National Stadium Thursday.

The match kicks off at 8 pm.

Both Bangladesh and Nepal are gearing up for the friendly as part of their preparation ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifier engagements.

Bangladesh will face India in their next fixture at home on November 18, while Nepal will take on Malaysia on the same day. Both teams will be desperate to secure a positive result ahead of their upcoming qualifier matches.

In their last meeting, during a two-match friendly series held in the September window, Bangladesh were held to a goalless draw by Nepal in Kathmandu.

Despite a spirited performance in their recent AFC Asian Cup campaign, Bangladesh suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 defeat to Hong Kong, China at home, though they managed to earn a creditable 1-1 draw in the away fixture.

After promising performances against higher-ranked Hong Kong both at home and away, Javier Cabrera's men have gained confidence and are aiming to conclude their Asian Cup preparations with a victory over Nepal.

However, the friendly is expected to be a closely contested affair, as Nepal hold a psychological edge, remaining unbeaten against Bangladesh in their last five encounters.

The Bangladesh side will be boosted by the presence of Leicester City midfielder Hamza Choudhury and Canada-based midfielder Samit Som ahead of the friendly against Nepal and the upcoming qualifier against India.

Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera earlier hinted that all players could get game time in the warm-up fixture against Nepal, with the focus firmly on fine-tuning preparations for the competitive matches ahead.BSS