Fahad appeals expat Bangladeshis in Malaysia for support

Midfielder Atiqur Rahman Fahad urged the Bangladeshi expatriates in Malaysia to turn up and inspire them in the upcoming matches of Asian Cup Qualifiers, starting from June 8.

The men in red and green take on Group E opponents Bahrain, Turkmenistan and Malaysia.

"We know there are many Bangladeshis in Malaysia. The stadium is open for all to watch the Asian Cup Qualifiers, so we will hope that our expatriate brothers and sisters will come to the stadium and support us," Fahad said after a training session yesterday at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, where they will face Bahrain on June 8.

Head coach Javier Cabrera is apparently trying to inject a low defensive style into the team and attack the opponents on the break. Today's training was no exception.

"Today we trained on how to keep the defence compact and worked on set-pieces and on how we would create chances against the opponents. The coach also worked on how to build up attacks and capitalise on the opportunities against Bahrain," the defensive midfielder said in a video statement sent by Bangladesh Football Federation.

The BFF statement also informed that some 60,000 spectators will be allowed to enjoy the matches in Kuala Lumpur due to the flexibility of coronavirus restrictions.

Assistant coach Masud Parvez Kaiser said the team combination is much better despite the absence of some key players.

"The team combination and teamwork are now better than before and everyone is awaiting better results. Everyone is ready for the game," said Kaiser, who informed that the team trained in line with information available about Bahrain.

"Bahrain are strong opponents, better than Indonesia. We have designed training for the boys after analysing the match videos of Bahrain team. I think the preparation is good and the players are getting ready for the match," said Kaiser.