Hong Kong v Bangladesh: Line-ups, stats and preview

Preview for Hong Kong v Bangladesh

Hong Kong go into tomorrow’s Asian Cup qualifier against Bangladesh knowing a win, followed by victory over Singapore next month, would secure their place in the finals.

Ashley Westwood’s men took a giant step towards qualification with Thursday’s dramatic 4-3 victory in Dhaka – Raphael Merkies scoring the winner with the last kick of the game after the hosts had drawn level nine minutes into stoppage time.

“It was a roller coaster for everybody involved,” Westwood told the South China Morning Post. “We have to respect Bangladesh, they played good football and caused us problems. I’m sure they’ll give us another tough game [at Kai Tak]. We have to be at our maximum to get results and that won’t change at home.”

Former Burnley midfielder Westwood is now desperate for Hong Kong to get the job done as soon as possible, and secure a place in Saudi Arabia in two years’ time.

Six points from the next two matches will mean they can go to India for their last group game knowing the job is done.

“We have a chance to get two big results and maybe … go to India and have a bit of a rest,” Westwood added.

“The players have the same spirit as me and my staff, we never say die and we fight to the end, just like our fans and Hong Kong in general. Our will to win got us over the line [in Bangladesh].”

Merkies will be eager to make another big impression after revealing he did not come away with the match ball last week.

“I tried to ask for the ball but they weren’t willing to give it to me,” the Shandong Taishan winger said. “I also went to the ball boys, but no one wanted to hand it over.

“It was a crazy night, but the job is only half done and we need to refocus, because this game is just as important.”

Bangladesh sit bottom of Group C and have yet to win. A victory at Kai Tak Stadium would suddenly thrust them back into contention, however.

Coach Javier Cabrera was frustrated by his side’s defensive lapses that contributed to their defeat last week but said they would be up for the fight tomorrow.

“Analysing the video and the match, honestly, the plan was perfectly executed by the players. We made some mistakes that cost us the match, but overall, both the defensive and offensive strategies worked well,” Cabrera said.

“We’ll make some small adjustments to get ready again and fight for the win.”

The visitors will again have experienced Leicester City midfielder Hamza Chowdhury available for the game after he opted to play for Bangladesh earlier this year.

“Hamza is a leader on and off the pitch – a player who has been guiding his teammates from the beginning, as you could see the other day on the field,” added Cabrera.

“We are also very lucky to have captains like Jamal [Bhuiyan], Topu [Barman], and Sohel [Rana]. All of them are leaders, and we’re fortunate to have Hamza among them as well.”

Team News for Hong Kong v Bangladesh

Hong Kong will have to make a change in goal after Yapp Hung-fai tore an ACL in the return game.

Bangladesh could have Canada-based midfielder Shamit Shome available to start after he came off the bench in the return game last week and got on the scoresheet.

Topu is also likely to feature from the start after injury restricted him to a bench role on Thursday.

Predicted line-ups for Hong Kong v Bangladesh

Hong Kong: Tse; Jones, Gerbig, Yue, Chan; Yu, Chun, Juninho; Merkies, Camargo, Dudu

Bangladesh: Marma, Kazi, Topu, T Uddin, S Uddin, Choudhury, Morsalin, Rana Sr, Rana Jr, Rakib, Fahim

How to watch Hong Kong v Bangladesh

Hong Kong versus Bangladesh kicks off at 1pm UK time tomorrow.

You can watch it on the bet365 app in the UK.

Prediction for Hong Kong v Bangladesh

The home side will be backed by a passionate crowd at Kai Tak Stadium but that brings pressure.

We fancy Bangladesh to get a draw that won’t do much good for their qualification hopes but will restore some pride after last week’s disappointment.

Prediction: Hong Kong 2-2 Bangladesh