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'Confident of taking domestic form to international matches'

Sports Reporter
Having spent a long domestic season, the national footballers are determined to take their form to international matches as all
the players of the preliminary squad except for seven Abahani players yesterday gathered at a hotel in the capital for preparation of joint qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup and the 2023 Asian Cup.
The booters will start training at the Bangabandhu National Stadium this morning, some three weeks after the completion of domestic commitments even though the last international match for these players was more than two months ago against Laos in the first round of the qualifiers.
Head coach Jamie Day wants to emphasise on fitness of the players first before the team leaves for Tajikistan on September 1 ahead of their qualifying match against Afghanistan on September 10. The Abahani players will join the camp after their AFC Cup engagement against April 25 SC on August 28.
The players are hopeful of coping up with the challenge of international football and take their domestic form to the international stage.
"These are World Cup qualifiers, so everyone has to be prepared. You cannot return to the camp unfit. Everybody has to do their homework. The coach sent us training schedules and if the players followed that, there would be no problem,” captain Jamal Bhuiyan said.
"There is a big difference between domestic and international football, but hopefully in the next 10 to 12 days, the players will be fit and ready for Afghanistan. Afghanistan are a very strong side, but we believe our team is very good too. Furthermore, we were playing together for the last 14 months," said the midfielder.
"Size doesn't matter in football these days. If you have the right mentality and if you remain fit, anything can happen," Jamal said replying to a query regarding the physical advantage of the
Afghan footballers.
"We all know Qatar is the best team in the group. We may have a chance for the second position. If we are fit and if we prepare well, then we will have a chancy" Jamal said, adding that good performance of Abahani in the AFC Cup would inject extra confidence into the national team.
The team management will expect goals from on-song striking pair of Nabib Newaj Jibon and Matin Mia, with the two scoring 28 goals in the just-concluded Bangladesh Premier League.
"We all had a good domestic season and the coach selected players on the basis of their performance. The World Cup qualifiers is a big stage for all the players and we want to avail this opportunity with both hands," Matin said.
"I am really happy to have scored many goals
for my club and I am confident of taking that form to international matches where I am yet to score any," added Matin, who first played for the national team during the Bangabandhu Gold Cup last year.
Coach Jamie Day will, however, have worries over an inexperienced defence, but right-back Sushanta Tripura believes they would not dishearten the nation.
"The defenders may have less experience of international matches, but 1 don't think it will affect the defence much whoever are the opponents are," the Bashundhara Kings defender said. "If you look at the domestic season, the average performance was good. If we can give hundred percent every match, I think we can produce good results in the qualifiers."