Bangladesh's star midfielder, Hamza Choudhury, arrived in Dhaka on Monday evening, albeit five hours later than scheduled due to a flight delay. He immediately expressed a strong desire to secure a victory against neighbouring rivals India in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers on November 18.
Choudhury, who is set to join team training on Tuesday, stated in a video message released by the Bangladesh Football Federation that the team has made "a lot of progress" and that they are all "excited and toiling hard" for the crucial match against India.
Bangladesh will first face Nepal in a friendly on November 13 at the National Stadium. Another key midfielder, Shamit Shome, is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on Wednesday, just one day before the Nepal fixture. Bangladesh vs. India on November 18.
Despite Bangladesh already being eliminated from the qualifiers (having lost three and drawn one match), excitement remains high. All gallery tickets for the November 18 fixture sold out within minutes. A victory over India would be significant as it could help Bangladesh improve their position in the four-team group ahead of their final match against Singapore next March. Bangladesh and India currently both sit on two points, with Bangladesh positioned above their rivals.
