'It’s always a big game for them': Gurpreet fires salvo at Bangladesh before dead rubber football game

There’s nothing to play for India in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round match against Bangladesh on Tuesday (18 November) in Dhaka except for national pride. Both India and Bangladesh are out of the qualifying race.

India were knocked out by lower-ranked Singapore, who defeated the Blue Tigers 2-1 in Goa last month. Bangladesh played out a 1-1 draw against Hong Kong in their last qualifier.

‘IND vs BAN football match will not lack competitiveness’ 

The first India vs Bangladesh match in the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round had ended in a goalless draw in Shillong in March. And despite nothing riding on the match, India would want to bounce back with a win against a team that has always been eager to beat their neighbours.

Captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said that the Blue Tigers are treating the upcoming match as a “tough” game, which will not lack any “competitiveness.”

“It won’t change the competitiveness or the fierceness of the game. It’s always a big game for them and for the people of Bangladesh because it’s against India,” said Sandhu.

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“We need to be prepared mentally and physically because it’s always a tough game. It might not be the nicest game to watch. It might be scrappy, and we as a team need to be ready for any challenge. We need to be tough out there when we face them,” Sandhu added.

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India defender Sandesh Jhingan said that they are expecting an electrifying atmosphere in the match in Bangladesh.

“Our expectations are very simple. Play to our full potential, and stick to the system for as long as we can during the game. If we can do that, the rest will follow. We’ll work hard and hopefully get a win this time,” he said.

“I’ve played here before with the Under-23s (during the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers in 2015), and also at club level. The people of Bangladesh love watching football, and they support their team really well. We played at the same stadium where we will play this game (the National Stadium in Dhaka).”

In 29 matches so far between India and Bangladesh, the Blue Tigers have won 14 games, while Bangladesh have 4 wins to show. 11 matches ended in a draw.

The India vs Bangladesh football match on 18 November (Tuesday) will be live-streamed on FanCode.