U-17s set for Turkmenistan challenge

Bangladesh are set to face an unfamiliar opponent in the form of Turkmenistan when they begin their AFC U-17 Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers Round-1 campaign at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore today.

The match will get underway at 8:00pm (BST).

Bangladesh, who qualified for the finals of the AFC U-16 Women's Championship Qualifiers in 2017 and 2019, will be eager to progress to the finals of the AFC U-17 Women's Asia Cup.

But they first need to progress past Round-1 of the Qualifiers, where they have been pitted against Turkmenistan and the hosts.

Bangladesh have never faced Turkmenistan in an U-17 competitions, with the Turkmen set to make their debut. However, a Bangladesh U-20 side beat Turkmenistan 4-0 in the AFC U-20 Women's Asia Cup Qualifiers in March last year in Dhaka.

"It is a very important match for the girls. We are hoping that they will display their natural performance and leave with a victory," head coach Golam Rabbani Choton said yesterday.

"Turkmenistan came to play this tournament for the first time, so they will be trying their best. What we always do is that we respect our opponents and consider them a strong side. We also believe we can leave the ground with a victory if the girls show their normal performance," he added.