Ever since the AFC U-23 Asian Cup competition was introduced back in 2012, Bangladesh never managed to go past the group stage but this time the Bangladesh U-23 team are dreaming of reaching the final round of the tournament from the Qualifiers phase, scheduled to begin on October 27 in Uzbekistan.

Bangladesh were pitted against Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and hosts Uzbekistan in Group D. Group champions and four best runners-up from 11 groups will join hosts Uzbekistan in the 16-team final round, to be held in 2022. However, if Uzbekistan top their group, then one more runners-up team will advance to the final round.

Head coach Maruful Haque talked to the press about his side's preparation and potential at the BFF House yesterday.

"When the grouping was announced, I thought if I could work with the U-23 side for two to three months, then it'd be possible to do well. Ultimately, I was offered to take charge of the U-23 side after the completion of the domestic league and I accepted it gladly.

"I know the opponents are superior to Bangladesh and it's a challenge because we hardly get opportunities to play against the better sides. Since the U-23 team is also considered as the next national team, I took the challenge and worked with these boys for the past month.

"I'm satisfied with our preparation and hopeful about qualifying for the final round," said Maruful.

In the last four editions of the tournament, other than a win over Sri Lanka and a draw against India, Bangladesh lost all 11 matches against Syria, Uzbekistan, Jordan, Tajikistan, Palestine, Bahrain, Nepal and Yemen.

"A major difference between Bangladesh and other opponents is based on the individual aspects but I believe it can be overcome if our team can perform collectively," said the coach, who have six national players – Rahmat Mia, Riyadul Hasan, Yeasin Arafat, Tutul Hossain Badsha, Mahbubur Rahman Sufil and Mohammad Ridoy – at his disposal after three national players – Biplu Ahmed, Bishwanath Ghosh and Tariq Raihan Kazi – opted to stay out of the squad following injury concerns, personal and visa issues, respectively.

Maruful believes that four points – with a win against Kuwait and a draw against Saudi Arabia – from three matches will be enough to secure a place in the final round.

Bangladesh will kick off their campaign against Kuwait on October 27 before taking on hosts Uzbekistan on October 30. The third and final match against Saudi Arabia will take place on November 2.