‘Great opportunity to get the show on road’

Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler will treat today’s closed-door friendly against A-League side Western Sydney Wanderers FC in Sydney as a final rehearsal before committing to his tactical blueprint for the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup.

“We have the opportunity to actually look at the girls tomorrow [today] in two 45-minute games,” Butler said in a video message released by the Bangladesh Football Federation.

The fixture assumes added significance given the scale of what lies ahead. Led by Afeida Khandokar, Bangladesh open their campaign against nine-time champions China on March 3 -- their first appearance at the continental showpiece and the country’s first since 1980.

At Valentine Sports Park, under brooding skies yesterday, Afeida and her teammates completed their fourth training session with an emphasis on tactical flexibility and sharper ball progression. Butler, still shaping the side in his image, has pushed for greater attacking intent without entirely sacrificing structure.

“The girls have worked really, really well. I can’t fault their efforts,” said the Bangladesh coach, who guided the team to their second SAFF Women’s Championship title in 2024 before passing the Asian Cup qualifying tournament with flying colours in the following year.

“They are an honest bunch of girls, and the work rate they’ve put in has been great. It’s a good environment to train; the pitches out there are outstanding, though it’s a little bit open to the public.”

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Bangladesh have not played an international since the tri-nation cup at the National Stadium in Dhaka in early December, leaving a three-month competitive gap before their biggest-ever assignment. Butler’s attempt to instil a more proactive style delivered encouraging returns during July’s qualifying campaign in Myanmar, yet vulnerabilities resurfaced in October when Thailand scored eight times across two friendlies.

Stronger opposition now awaits, and the warm-up match offers a controlled setting to test variations in shape and personnel before the stakes rise considerably.

“I’ll sit and go through the team tonight. I’ve just worked on a couple of options, bearing in mind whether we play a 3-4-3 or a 3-5-2 or a 4-3-3 -- it’s all subjective.

“I have to say, the girls’ attitude has been excellent. I just really believe it’s a great opportunity for them to get the show on the road. I’m looking at it as a training-ground game in a lovely environment. And more importantly, it gives the players great competition for places, young and old.”