Bangladesh are eyeing another enterprising display after their battling performance against defending champions China PR as the tournament debutants face three-time winners DPR Korea at Western Sydney Stadium in Sydney, Australia on Friday.
On Tuesday, in their historic debut, the Tigresses put up a valiant show against the holders, who are almost 100 places above them in the FIFA rankings, before suffering a 2-0 defeat.
Ritu Porna Chakma and her teammates will once again look to gain valuable experience against another tournament favourite in DPR Korea.
“We’re going to face a very strong team,” said Bangladesh head coach Peter Butler at the pre-match press conference ahead of the DPR Korea clash.
“You look at where they are in terms of their FIFA rankings; they are probably one of the favourites for the tournament.
“We’ve got to be on top of our game, but we are under no illusion that it’s a tall order to win this game. It’s about being the best version of ourselves. If we do that, we can win a few hearts and minds from the stands.
“All I want is for us to come here and be true to ourselves. We are an emerging team and we are in a situation where we are up against three good teams. We are where we are and we have to accept the way things roll.”
Butler also explained the reasoning behind the composition of his young squad, using the Australia 2026 tournament as part of the build-up for Bangladesh ahead of the AFC U-20 Women’s Asian Cup Thailand 2026 in April.
“Half the team are eligible to play in the Under-20s. The reason I did that was because we knew we were going to Thailand. Competing at the SAFF level is completely different.
“The quality of the training pitches at this level is far superior. The quality of the opponents you play against is also much higher. All of us can learn a lot from tournaments like this.”
DPR Korea are determined to keep their Asian Cup fate in their own hands as they prepare to face Bangladesh in their second Group B tie.
Despite the vast difference in achievements and FIFA rankings, head coach Ri Song Ho is not underestimating Bangladesh and has demanded full concentration from his players as they look to build on their opening 3-0 win against Uzbekistan.
“We won the first match, but the remaining matches are equally important for us,” said Ri.
“It is a chance for us to keep improving ourselves and we are focused on our training in order to achieve the best possible result.
“I watched the match between China PR and Bangladesh. Bangladesh were better and stronger than I expected. Their attacking line was very fast with quick transitions, so we have to be more aware in our defending.”
DPR Korea sit top of the standings ahead of China PR, but despite the possibility of the group winners being determined by goal difference, chasing goals against Bangladesh is not the approach Ri wants for his team.
“I understand how the group situation could unfold, where a draw in the third match might see the group decided on goal difference.
“But this is not our preferred strategy because we want to win every game. We will not approach this match with the mindset of simply improving our goal difference.”
