Rakib believes Bangladesh play better at home than away

Forward Rakib Hossain remains optimistic about delivering a victory for the nation when Bangladesh face India in their final match of the year. The striker believes the team's recent home performances give them confidence ahead of the clash.

The Bangladeshi international shared his thoughts on Tuesday at the Bashundhara Kings Arena training ground, as the team continued preparations for two upcoming international fixtures -- against Nepal on November 13 and India five days later at the National Stadium.

Bangladesh have already been eliminated from the race for the AFC Asian Cup, following two home defeats and two away draws. However, Rakib dismissed the notion that the team performs better on foreign soil.

"If you look back, we've played really well at home," said Rakib. "In our last home match against Hong Kong, we had a strong first half. We also scored four goals in two matches -- one against Singapore and three against Hong Kong."

Determined to finish the year on a positive note, he added, "We still have two matches left -- one at home and one away -- and we'll try to give the country's people a good result by winning against India in our last home match of the year."

The Bashundhara Kings forward also praised the growing excitement surrounding the national team since the inclusion of Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome, crediting their presence for lifting both the squad's spirit and public enthusiasm.

"You can see how football's popularity has grown -- tickets for home matches are selling out in just a few minutes," Rakib said. "The craze has definitely increased since Hamza and Shamit joined. We've improved a lot as a team, but sometimes the results just don't go our way -- that's our bad luck."