Hamza Choudhury will make his long-awaited first appearance on home soil for the Bangladesh national team in today’s international friendly against Bhutan. The Leicester City midfielder, who made his international debut in March against India in Shillong, was named in the starting XI by head coach Javier Cabrera.
Today’s match also marks the senior debuts of two overseas-based players: Fahamedul Islam and Kazem Shah Kirmani. Fahamedul, who plies his trade in Italy, was previously called up to the Bangladesh training camp ahead of the India fixture in March. Although he trained with the team in Saudi Arabia, he was left out of the final squad — a decision that drew widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike. Cabrera has rectified that this time, handing the promising midfielder a starting berth.
With a crucial AFC Asian Cup qualifier against Singapore coming up on 10 June, Cabrera opted for a strong line-up despite the match being a friendly. The inclusion of key players like captain Jamal Bhuiyan and in-form winger Rakib Hossain underlines Bangladesh’s intent to build momentum ahead of the all-important clash.
Despite the match being against lower-ranked opposition, all eyes are on Hamza’s home debut and the performance of the new faces as Bangladesh look to fine-tune their preparations for next week’s pivotal qualifier.
Bangladesh XI: Topu Barman, Jamal Bhuiyan (captain), Hamza Choudhury, Rakib Hossain, Mitul Marma (goalkeeper), Tariq Raihan Kazi, Fahamedul Islam, Sohel Rana, Kazem Shah Kirmani, Saad Uddin, and Taj Uddin.
