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Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera stated that there was no pressure on them ahead of their final match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against hosts Malaysia as it would be the hosts who would be under pressure.
Bangladesh, who are in Group E, were defeated in their first two matches against Bahrain and Turkmenistan. Against Bahrain, Bangladesh were walked over 2-0, but in their second match, the red-and-greens managed to put up a fight and only lost 2-1 after squandering quite a few golden opportunities.
Bangladesh no more have the chance of qualifying for the 2023 Asian Cup, but Malaysia have and they will be trying their best to win. Malaysia are currently second in the group with three points. Six group winners and five best runners-up will qualify, meaning Malaysia will have a shot once they get those three points against Bangladesh.
Bangladesh are 34 steps behind Malaysia in the FIFA rankings. Thus, Cabrera believes that Malaysia would be under pressure playing them.
“There is no pressure on us. All the pressure is on Malaysia. They are ahead in the rankings, playing at home, and have the chance to qualify for the Asian Cup. It’s a great opportunity for us to display that we can fight against anybody. We want to fight with a positive attitude.
“But I want to say that we deserve a good result. We want to give our fans a good result and return home with that,” Cabrera said in the pre-match press conference on Monday.
He added that they wanted to win, but being consistent was important.
“We always want to win. That is our target. But to win, we need to be consistent everywhere. Malaysia will fight for their lives. They will try to finish the match in the first 10 minutes. We have to score, keep our concentration, keep them at bay and take advantage of their mistakes,” Cabrera said.
