Bangladesh national football team head coach Javier Cabrera oversaw his second consecutive training session at the Dhaka National Stadium on Wednesday, as the team continue preparations for their upcoming fixtures in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers.
Although Bangladesh are already out of contention for a spot in the main stage, Cabrera is determined to make the most of the remaining matches, focusing on development, performance, and pride.
“Our target now is clear: we aim to win both remaining matches and even prepare to compete strongly against Singapore later,” Cabrera told reporters during a media briefing on Tuesday.
The national training camp, which began last Friday, initially featured 14 players. One more player joined shortly after, bringing the squad to 15. Players from Bashundhara Kings who have just completed their club commitments, are set to join on 7 November, while Hamza Choudhury is expected to arrive on 10 November, and Shamit Shome slightly later.
Cabrera confirmed that if all goes according to plan, both Hamza and Shome will feature in the friendly against Nepal before Bangladesh face India at home on 18 November. The India match is widely regarded as the team’s final big test of the group stage.
“Hamza hopefully will arrive by the 10th November, if I’m not wrong. So if everything goes well and he’s feeling well, he will be playing against Nepal. Shamit is coming most probably a little bit later, but again, we will try our best for him to have at least some minutes in the Nepal match,” Cabrera said on Tuesday.
Despite the recent setbacks in results, Cabrera remains confident. “The squad is performing well, and this is the right group to target a victory against India. We are focused on preparation, continuity, and quality to end the group stage on a strong note,” he concluded.
