Bangladesh face Russia in SAFF U-17 Championship today

BSS, Dhaka :
After a thumping victory over Bhutan, Bangladesh will face favorite Russia in their second match of SAFF U-17 Women’s Championship scheduled to be held today at Bir Shreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the city’s Kamalapur area.
The match kicks off at 3.15 pm.
Russia, who are set to feature in the tournament for the first time as a guest nation following its suspension by UEFA, is always tough opponent and one of the favorite sides of the championship and it will not be an easy job for skipper Ruma Akter and co. to accept the challenge. Although the girls are excited and looking forward to play the match, following their stunning performance crushing Bhutan 8-1 in their opening match of the championship.
Bangladesh are always favorites in home in any women’s tournament but Bangladesh’s head coach Golam Robbani Chotan this time understood the reality as his team are going to face a tough opponent. In his eyes, Russia are the favorites in this tournament because among the five participating countries in the tournament, Russia ranked 26 in FIFA ranking followed by India 61, Nepal 103, Bangladesh 140 and Bhutan 177.
Even though Russia are considered as favorites in the championship, but Bangladesh want to do something good with their best. Except Nusrat Jahan Mitu, Trishna Rani and Surovi Akand Preeti of the U-20 team, most of the remaining players are the members of SAFF U-15 championship held in November last year.
The girls have been making rigorous training with the seniors for this tournament since January 1. Captain Ruma Akhtar said that their preparation is good.
Only three teams took part in the SAFF U-15 championship with Bangladesh finished runners-up, but this time the challenge is a little more for Golam Robbani Choton because Bangladesh will have to face the strongest team in the region India and European country Russia in this tournament.