Dhaka, March 23: Lodewijk de Kruif, the head coach of Bangladesh national football team vowed to fight but kept his expectations limited for the AFC U-23 group e qualifiers in a presser at the BFF House on Monday. 

The Dutch coach appeared practical.  “After  14 days of preparation we are doing very well, we are preprparing step by step making progress every day, although we know we have a big role to play in the upcoming tournament, we have to play two very good countries, Syria and Uzbekistan, and let’s say India is on our level still they are ahead of us” said de Kruif. 

“Expectations in case of winning games  are not very high when facing Syria and Uzbekistan as they at the moment are placed higher than us, to reach that level we have to play international matches, for us the expectations are a good team organization specially in the defence, but in football every thing can happen, our U-23 team is have the experience of playing against very good countries and survive, we will fight for the country and see what opportunities we have” he added. 

Skipper Raihan Hasan also echoed the same tune.” We did not have many days of training behind us but we have the target to securing at least the runners-up spot and stay alive in the tournament” said the defender.

Bangladesh plays Syria on March 27, faces Uzbekistan on March 29 and take on India on March 29.