Bangladesh vs Maldives: SAFF Championship 2023 Match Preview, Head to Head and Telecast details

Bangladesh vs Maldives face off at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India on Sunday in the 2023 SAFF Championship.

Telecast:

In India, Bangladesh vs Maldives will be telecasted on Fancode app and Doordarshan.

Bangladesh vs Maldives: Match Preview

The Bengal Tigers began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Lebanon on Thursday. After holding out the Cedars for a good 79 minutes, Hassan Maatouk broke their resistance to put Lebanon 1-0 up. In the sixth minute of added time, Khalil Bader scored another as Bangladesh were comfortably beaten.

Head coach Javier Cabrera could make a few changes to his lineup here. Aminur Rahman Sajib could come in place of Sumon Reza as the striker, while Robiul Hasan is vying for a place in midfield.

Another setback here could deal their progression hopes a mortal blow.

On the other hand, Maldives beat Bhutan 2-0 in their first match. Hamza Mohamed opened the scoring for the Red Snappers from the penalty spot in the sixth minute before Naiz Hassan put the final nail in the Dragon Boys' coffin in the 90th minute.

However, in the sixth minute of stoppage time, Hassan Raif Ahmed was sent off for the Maldives, and he's now suspended from the clash against Bangladesh.

Both teams have demonstrated a strong tendency towards high-scoring matches, with an exceptional average over 1.5 goals and over 0.5 goals percentage of 100. This indicates a likelihood of multiple goals being scored in this match as well.

Head to head:

• Bangladesh and Maldives have clashed 15 times in history with six wins for each. Only three of their encounters have ever ended in draws.
• The Maldives have won five of their last six clashes with Bangladesh, losing once.
• Maldives and Bangladesh last met in March 2022 when the Red Snappers won 2-0 over the Bengal Tigers in a friendly match.
• The Maldives have won both their clashes in 2023, keeping a clean sheet in each of them too (1-0 vs Pakistan and 2-0 vs Bhutan).
• Bangladesh have won and lost twice in their last four games and in alternating fashion too.
• Bangladesh are ranked 192nd in the world whereas Maldives are in 154th position.