Bangladesh national women's football team take on their Singapore counterpart in the first match of the two-match FIFA Tier-1 Women's Int'l Football Series scheduled to be held on December 1 at Birshreshtha Shaheed Sepoy Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in the city's Kamalapur.

The match kicks off at 4 pm.

Addressing at a pre-match press conference held on Wednesday at Bangladesh Football Federation Bhaban Bangladesh national women's football team coach Saiful Bari Titu and team's skipper Sabina Khatun expressed their optimism to win the series against Singapore, reports BSS.

Coach Titu said after the Asian Games, the Bangladesh team were supposed to visit Lebanon at the end of October to play two matches. The team had made very good preparation for those two matches, but unfortunately the girls could not play that series.
 
The team would have benefited if they played the two matches in Lebanon. Now BFF has organized the series against Singapore and BFF deserves a big thanks for that.

Bangladesh's captain Sabina Khatun, who was present at the press conference, the two matches against Singapore is going to be very challenging one.

Remembering their 3-0 defeat in a friendly match against Singapore three years back, the Bangladesh skipper said they have bitter experience against Singapore.

But she is found very optimistic at winning the series against Singapore this time at home.

Sabina said the current team is more balanced than before and improved in all technical, tactical and physical aspects.
She hoped that the football fans would come to the ground and watch two challenging matches.

The second and ultimate match of the series will be held on Monday (Dec 4) at the same venue.

Bangladesh's women's football team: Rupna Chakma, Swarna Rani Mandal, Shopna Akter Jili, Sheuli Azim, Shamsunnahar (Sr.), Afeida Khandakar, Masura Parvin, Nilufa Yasmin Nila, Anai Mogini, Mst Surma Jannat, Kohati Kisku, Monika Chakma, Sanjida Akhter, Maria Manda, Shamsunnahar (Jr.), Shaheda Akter Ripa, Ritu Porna Chakma, Sapna Rani, Marzia, Sumaya Matsushima, Tohura Khatun, Sabina Khatun and Most Aklima Khatun.

Bangladeshi wicketkeeper-batter Mushfiqur Rahim is set to feature for Fortune Barishal in the forthcoming Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

Mushfiqur had played for Sylhet Strikers in the last edition. His price was fixed at 80 lakhs in the players' draft according to the category. Which means he was in 'A' category.

The top category player will play along with other star players like Tamim Iqbal, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Khaled Ahmed in Fortune Barishal.

Neymar said he was relishing “new challenges and opportunities in new places” after he joined Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal from Paris Saint-Germain on a two-year deal Tuesday, becoming the latest big name lured to the oil-rich Gulf state.

The Brazil forward, 31, ends a six-year stay in the French capital and follows in the footsteps of Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema and Sadio Mane in swapping Europe for the Middle East.

“I have achieved a lot in Europe and enjoyed special times, but I have always wanted to be a global player and test myself with new challenges and opportunities in new places,” Neymar said in a statement from the Saudi Pro League.

“I want to write new sporting history, and the Saudi Pro League has tremendous energy and quality players at the moment,” he added.

Neymar was “in negotiations” on Sunday to become the latest football superstar to decamp for Saudi Arabia, leaving Paris Saint-Germain just as Kylian Mbappe was brought back in from the cold by the French champions.

A source close to PSG told AFP that 31-year-old Neymar “no longer figures in the club or manager’s plans” with the Brazilian immediately linked to Al-Hilal in the Gulf kingdom.

Another source in Saudi Arabia said that “direct negotiations” between Neymar’s agents and the Public Investment Fund (PIF) were ongoing.