'Our big tournament is SAFF': Dooley plays down ASEAN Cup expectations

Bangladesh head coach Thomas Dooley has firmly played down expectations on the eve of their FIFA ASEAN Cup opener against Malaysia at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, labeling the prestigious tournament strictly as a preparatory platform for November's SAFF Championship on home soil.

This is arguably the highest-profile tournament the men in red and green have participated in recent history, but getting a memorable result will require a Herculean effort. 

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Bangladesh, who only gained entry after India opted out of the tournament, face a daunting start against the Malayan Tigers -- a team ranked 136th in the world, 45 places above Dooley's side. The challenges won't stop there, as they are later slated to face Singapore (146th) and hosts Indonesia (118th).

"We are very happy to participate in this tournament. It's a big challenge for us," Dooley said on Thursday. "We always wanted to play against better teams, and our big tournament in the future is the SAFF Championship. This is a perfect preparation for us for this tournament at home in November".

While acknowledging the team's desire to compete, the coach urged supporters to remain grounded.

"When you walk onto the field, you want to do your best, but we are realistic. I know we have so many fans at home who think that we're coming over here and we're gonna beat everyone," he said.

Dooley highlighted the steep climb his squad faces in a tough competition that features much higher-ranked opponents.

"Malaysia is almost 50 points in the rankings above us. It's a lot. And then we have Singapore, they are like 30, 35 points ahead of us, and then we have Indonesia," Dooley explained. "It's a tournament that we are looking forward to, to learn something. We will make some mistakes, hopefully not too many, but we can learn from that and use it for the next games, especially for the SAFF tournament. That is our goal. But also, anything can happen. We know that we are the underdogs".

History heavily favors Malaysia. In 10 overall meetings, Bangladesh have managed just a single victory -- a 2-1 win at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi. Aside from two friendly draws (1-1 in 2012 and 0-0 in 2015), Bangladesh have lost seven times to the Malayan Tigers, including a 4-1 thrashing in their most recent encounter during a June 2022 AFC Asian Cup qualifier.

Dooley knows their opponents will be desperate to protect their superiority on the pitch. 

"Malaysia thinks the same way that we do. When we play against a team behind us in the rankings, like Bhutan, we don't want to lose. That's how Malaysia thinks too. It will be very, very difficult to get a great result, but we're trying to do the best we can".

Ultimately, the head coach views the Jakarta campaign as a much-needed reality check against superior opposition.

"The biggest thing for us is that we try to find out where we are right now. We are not 100% sure where we belong," Dooley concluded. "Malaysia is obviously a little bit better, and that will be very difficult for us. Success is if we have a good result. If we are losing 1-0, or if we get a tie, that would be fantastic".