Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley expects a tough fight against Pakistan when the two teams meet in the SAFF Championship at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Saturday.
Bangladesh come into the match after beating Sri Lanka 4-0. But Dooley believes Pakistan will be a much harder opponent, especially with several players joining their squad from Europe.
“Pakistan is maybe the most difficult one to play against. They are very strong,” Dooley said at a press conference on Friday.
“The five individual players coming in from outside the country obviously also have incredible football knowledge because they play at a higher level in Europe. So it will be very difficult with them,” he added.
Dooley wants his players to carry their good form into the next match. He also believes Bangladesh can match Pakistan if they show enough desire.
“We have to fight. We have to show the fans that we can play football, that we can fight and we do it for the fans,” he said.
“We have a lot of respect for them. We are not taking them lightly. It will be a battle, but we will try to do the best we can.”
Bangladesh will miss defender Saad Uddin for the match. Dooley admitted that his absence would hurt the team but backed his replacement to deliver.
“Saad is one of the players who gives 100% every time he steps on the field, even in training. He was a very strong defender on the right side and very offensive-minded. Obviously, he will be missed tomorrow,” he said.
Despite Pakistan’s attacking strength, Dooley remains confident in his defence. Bangladesh have yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
“We have a strong defence. Nobody has scored against us too. That means we are getting stronger and stronger with every game. There’s nobody out there who wants it more than we do,” he said.
