The 28-year-old midfielder, who joined the camp on Monday, said Bangladesh’s strength must come from unity.

Mahama Awal, a Cameroonian-born naturalised forward for Hong Kong, China, is expecting a tough challenge from Bangladesh in front of a packed National Stadium in Dhaka on October 9.

Leicester City's Bangladeshi midfielder Hamza Choudhury reached Dhaka this morning to take part in the national team’s upcoming Asian Cup Qualifying match against Hong Kong, China.

Bangladesh football team forward Mohammad Ibrahim said that they will feel the absence of star teammates Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome, and Fahamedul Islam in their upcoming two FIFA friendlies against hosts Nepal but was hopeful that the experienced players in the side will make up for these absences.

Star midfielder Hamza Choudhury, who picked up a niggle in Leicester City's recent match, will miss the September 6 and 9 fixtures.

Bangladesh national team head coach Javier Cabrera remains confident about preparing his side for the two upcoming FIFA friendlies against hosts Nepal on September 6 and 9, despite 10 Bashundhara Kings players expected to join the national camp only next month.

Bangladesh’s Hamza Choudhury scored a stunning goal but his side Leicester City twice squandered the lead and eventually lost on penalties against Huddersfield and were eliminated from the first round of the English League Cup on Thursday.

Leicester City have appointed former Queens Park Rangers head coach Marti Cifuentes as their manager on a three-year contract, the Championship side said on Tuesday.

For more than two decades, Bangladeshi football has remained confined to domestic competition, with no significant international success.

Meanwhile, reigning world champions Argentina have retained their top spot

Tanned by summer heat, tuned by a season of relentless graft at Sheffield United, and tested by rollercoaster ride with Bangladesh, the 26-year-old returned to the club where his footballing identity was forged.

About 10 years ago, in 2015, the Bangladesh national football team suffered a 2-1 defeat to Singapore in a FIFA friendly match. Tuesday’s identical 2-1 defeat to the same opponent in the Asian Cup Qualifiers at the same ground gives the impression that the men in red and green have remained in the same place they were a decade ago -- despite the inclusion of expatriate players like Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome.

Bangladesh’s 2-1 defeat to Singapore in the Asian Cup Qualifiers wasn’t just a defeat -- it was a missed opportunity to build something better with the right tools finally in hand. And that’s exactly what former striker and Mohammedan’s league-winning coach Alfaz Ahmed is talking about: we finally have the parts, but we don’t know how to assemble the machine.

Bangladesh midfielder Shamit Shome expressed his disappointment following his side’s 2-1 defeat to Singapore in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture at the National Stadium on Tuesday but remained optimistic about the future of Bangladesh football.

Just hours after Bangladesh’s defeat against Singapore in an AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture, coach Javier Cabrera as well as foreign-born players -- Hamza Choudhury and Shamit Shome -- departed Dhaka, confirmed a key member of the team’s management.

“Not the result we wanted! But we can be proud as a team and as a nation!! We need to stay positive because we’re only just getting started and inshaAllah we will be where we want to be very soon!” Hamza wrote in a heartfelt social media post after the match.

Anticipation was high, yet the scenes at the newly renovated National Stadium still amazed as the entire premises transformed into a sea of white -- the color of Bangladesh’s home jersey -- as Bangladesh prepared to face Singapore in a much-hyped Asian Cup Qualifier yesterday.

When was the last time you saw more than 23000 people packed into a stadium for a Bangladesh football match? When did fans last beg for tickets, attempt to break through gates, and prompt an army intervention?

Despite a 2-0 defeat to Singapore in their Asian Cup Qualifiers encounter at the National Stadium on Tuesday, Bangladesh head coach Javier Cabrera insisted his side was the better team and described the result as deeply disappointing.

Bangladesh forward Rakib Hossain found the net but the men in red and green couldn't score more as they lost 2-1 against Singapore in their Asian Cup Qualifiers fixture at the National Stadium in Dhaka on Tuesday.