DHAKA, Nov 15, 2023 (BSS) - Bangladesh will take on strong Australia in their away match of FIFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying match scheduled to be held tomorrow (Thursday) evening at AAMI Park in Melbourne.
 
Ranked 183rd place in the FIFA World rankings, Bangladesh are going to participate in the qualifying match as the lowest-ranked nation in the group, ensuring they head into the second stage of qualifying as the underdogs.
Addressing a pre-match press conference held today (Wednesday) at conference room of the match venue, Bangladesh team's skipper Jamal Bhuiyan said they are committed to doing something good in Thursday's match against Australia, though it'll not be an easy task for them.
 
The Bangladesh captain admitted that playing in Australia against the host is very difficult.
"I think this is going to be the biggest match for the team. As the coach said, we want to fight and want to show our ability. The match is going to be an experience mission for all footballers of the team. We know it's going to be tough. We want to give our best," said Jamal.
 
When Bangladesh plays outside the country, expatriates rush to enjoy the match. The local Bangladeshi expatriates are very interested in the Melbourne match.
 
Thanking the expatriates, Jamal said, "Wherever we play in the world, in whichever country we play, the Bangladeshi fans really make us happy. We know they will support us and do everything possible to give us a little extra motivation. So, we have to show them that we are a good team."
 
Under the Spanish coach of Javier Cabrera Bangladesh have already proved to be a tough team to beat in recent times, having avoided defeat in regulation time in each of their last seven matches.
 
However, Bangladesh lost eleven of their last fifteen away games (Win-1, Draw-3) in World Cup qualifying, highlighting the size of the task that awaits them tomorrow (Thursday) encounter.
 
On the other hand, Australian football team's head coach Graham Arnold, said Bangladesh is a good team and they (Bangladesh) are playing good football as well, but we are confident that we'll win the match. My team is in good condition, working hard to improve performance.
 
The 60-year-old Australian coach will break an Australian men's national team coaching record tomorrow when the hosts face Bangladesh, the first step on their World Cup 2026 qualification journey.
 
Australia, ranked 27th in FIFA ranking, participates in World Cup football almost regularly. The Socceroos were in the round of sixteen in the last season as well.
 
Commenting about the team's 2026 World Cup mission, the veteran Australian coach said they want to win this match and move forward on the way to qualify for the World Cup, as the team is now in good shape.
 
He said Bangladesh is a strong team and they deserved respect.