Sports Desk

Hosts Bangladesh National Football Team will play Arabian rivals Lebanon in their home match of the four-team Group I of the FIFA World Cup Asian Qualfiers on Tuesday.

The second round Group I match between two teams will kick off at 5:45 pm Bangladesh time on Tuesday evening at the Bashundhara Kings Arena in Dhaka.

In their opening second round Group I match, Bangladesh made a frustrating start after conceding their second worst 0-7 goals defeat against much stronger Australia in Melbourne last Thursday (Nov 16), featuring a hattrick by Maclaren.

The ever-worse defeat of the Bangladesh National Football Team was against South Korea by 0-9 goals in 1979.

But Lebanon, in their first appearance in the second round Group I match, played to a goalless draw with Palestine at a neutral venue in the UAE, also on November 16.

Tuesday's match will be the fourth meeting between two teams since 2011, when Lebanon had the upper hand in the previous three meetings, beating Bangladesh twice against one defeat.

In the FIFA World Cup qualification in 2011, Bangladesh conceded a 0-4 goal defeat against Lebanon in their away match in July, while they beat Lebanon by 2-0 goals in their home match on July 28.

In the last SAFF Championship in India in June this year, Lebanon played as an invitee team and beat Bangladesh by 2-0 goals, scored in the last ten minutes.

Two vital players of the Bangladesh team—forward Rakib Hossain and defender Saaduddin—will miss Tuesday's vital match against Lebanon, as both players received second yellow cards in the last match against Australia.

Lebanon reached Dhaka on November 17 morning, while the Bangladesh team returned Dhaka from Australia at night. Both teams made their final practices on Monday.

Earlier, Bangladesh earned the rights to play in the six-match Group I matches of the FIFA World Cup's Asian qualifiers with Australia, Lebanon, and Palestine, eliminating the Maldives in round 1 last month.

Bangladesh will play their remaining four Group I matches next year.

Bangladesh will play their home match against Palestine on March 21, their away match with Palestine on March 26, their home match against Australia on June 6, and their away match with Lebanon on June 11.