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Bangladesh will take on Malaysia in a bid for victory in the Tri-Nation Women’s football series opener at the National Stadium in Dhaka today.

The match is scheduled to begin at 7:00pm and T Sports will telecast it live.

Bangladesh will play the tri-nation series against the upper-ranked Malaysia (92) and Azerbaijan (74), as part of their preparation for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia next year.

Bangladesh captain Afeida Khandaker expressed confidence ahead of the campaign.

‘I said yesterday that we will definitely try to win the matches against Azerbaijan and Malaysia,’ said Afeida during the pre-match press conference at the BFF House on Tuesday.

‘We trained this morning, had our coaching session, and worked on how we want to play. InshaAllah, we will do something good and give the people of our country a positive result.’  

Head coach Peter Butler appreciated the visiting teams, who arrived on Tuesday, for participating in the series.

‘I’m always grateful for international friendly fixtures. Whether it’s a tri-nation series or otherwise, they are always respected,’ said Butler. 

‘We warmly welcome Azerbaijan and Malaysia to our beautiful country. At the international level—especially in women’s football—it can be very difficult to arrange friendly matches, so we are thankful and appreciative.’

Butler’s charges earlier toured Thailand to play friendlies in late October and conceded defeats to hosts by 3-0 and 5-1.

Following the tri-nation series, the players will take part in the seventh Women’s Football League for further preparation for their maiden appearance in the Asian Cup.

The women’s league will start on December 15.

Malaysia and Azerbaijan will face off in the next game on November 29, before Bangladesh take on Azerbaijan on December 2.