Shuki, Rahmat in as Bangladesh take on Pakistan

Detailed summary

Bangladesh made two changes to the starting XI in SAFF Championship semifinal against Pakistan on Saturday, bringing in Rahmat Mia in place of injured Saad Uddin and Shuki Itofusa…

Bangladesh made two changes to the starting XI in SAFF Championship semifinal against Pakistan on Saturday, bringing in Rahmat Mia in place of injured Saad Uddin and Shuki Itofusa in place of Mohammad Ibrahim.

Both players had come as changes in the last match against Sri Lanka, with Rahmat replacing Saad who injured his Achilles in that 4-0 win.

The other positions remain the same which means Mehedi Hasan Srabon starts in goal, with Zayyan Ahmed, Tariq Kazi and Zidane Yousuf in defence.

There was no place for Topu Barman and Bishwanath Ghosh, who have trained the team ahead of the match.

Hamza Choudhury, Shamit Shome and Quazem Shah make up the midfield while Rakib Hossain and Farhaan Ali Wahid complete the attacking lineup alongside Shuki.

Bangladesh XI: Mehedi Hasan Srabon (GK); Tariq Kazi, Zidane Yousuf, Zayyan Ahmed, Rahmat Mia; Hamza Choudhury (C), Shamit Shome, Syed Shah Quazem Kirmanee; Rakib Hossain, Shuki Itofusa, Farhaan Ali Wahid.

Meanwhile, Pakistan made five changes to their squad from the last group-stage match, with Abdullah Iqbal, Easah Suliman, Abdul Samad Shahzad, Ali Akbar Khan and Adil Nabi -- all five having arrived after the opening of the FIFA window -- getting into the starting XI.

Pakistan XI: Yousuf Ijaz Butt (GK), Mohib Ullah, Abdullah Iqbal (C), Easah Suliman, Abdul Samad Shahzad, Muhammad Ali Akbar Khan, Mckeal Aroon, Junaid Ahmed, Ali Uzair, Haris Zeb, Adil Nabi

Opening of the article, excerpted from The Daily Star. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.