Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera addressed concerns regarding the team’s training conditions in India ahead of their crucial Asian Cup qualifier, emphasizing that despite the hurdles, the Bengal Tigers are focused and unfazed.
The team arrived in India on March 20 to acclimatize to local conditions and altitude in preparation for their face-off against India at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Tuesday. However, their initial training setup left much to be desired. The team was first allotted the ground at North Eastern Hill University, located five kilometres away from the city centre.
It wasn’t until Sunday that they were allowed access to Shillong Lajong’s artificial turf, and only hours before the match did they finally train at the main stadium.
“I think there has been a lot of noise about this. Probably things should have been better, but for us, it is in the past now. We don’t want to find any excuses for that,” Cabrera stated during the pre-match press conference.
Despite the logistical shortcomings, Cabrera insisted that his squad remains fully prepared. “We have not been training in the best of facilities, but we have been preparing very well. So that’s not in our focus anymore,” he said. “Today, we got to play and we got to train in the stadium finally. We are going to make the best of it. We are ready anyway.”
Cabrera, who previously served as assistant coach at Sporting Clube de Goa from 2013 to 2015, also commented on the shared Spanish roots and coaching paths he shares with India’s head coach Manolo Marquez.
“It is great, honestly. But, as of now, Manolo definitely has had a much longer career than me. He’s just training at the highest level,” Cabrera remarked. “He has already had a great trajectory here in India.”
While Marquez clinched the Indian Super League title with Hyderabad FC in 2022, Cabrera has also made strides, notably guiding Bangladesh to the semifinals of the SAFF Championship in 2023. “For me, it’s already three-and-a-half years as a national team coach, which is quite a big achievement. It feels good and I think it’s going to be a very entertaining match,” Cabrera concluded.
Bangladesh enters the tie as the lowest-ranked side in the group and has yet to claim a win against India on Indian soil. Despite the odds, the team appears determined to put up a strong fight.
