Jamal, Tampines match preview
Dhaka, April 25: Bangladesh champions Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club Ltd faces Tampines Rovers of Singapore in a group E match of the AFC Cup at the Bangabandhu National Stadium at 6:30 pm on Tuesday.
In a the official pre-match presser at the BFF House on Monday Rovers coach Sundram Moorthy and Jamal coach Shafikul Islam Manik expressed to put a good show.
Moorthy said “We are looking forward to the match tomorrow. I’ve been watching the games of Sheikh Jamal; they’ve been doing well in the AFC Cup and giving every team a hard time. I watched their last two games against Selangor. It was tough for Selangor to get the points. And I think it will be tough for us tomorrow to get the points”.
“When they were in Singapore, according to what I read in the papers, it was very early in the season for them. They were not well prepared. But after a couple of weeks, I think they have done much better. They were unlucky, if I have to say, to concede the goal against Selangor in the last minute. And again losing 4-3 at home against Selangor was a good performance. So it’s not going to be an easy match tomorrow” added Moorthy.
Manik was hoping to turn the wagon wheel. “This is our fifth match. The reality is we had a lot of dreams, but we could not fulfill those dreams due to lots of reasons like shortage of players, injuries, etc. We took only 14 players to Malaysia, including only two goalkeepers. I couldn’t make the required substitutions there. We could have won that game, should have at least drawn the game. Same is the situation for tomorrow’s match. I am still not sure which 11 players I will get tomorrow. Despite the fact that we lost the first match 4-0, we had some chances. If I get my players tomorrow, I am still hoping for something good. We will be playing for survival. They tried to do well in Malaysia, and they will try their best, which is all I can hope” said Manik..