Bangladesh midfielder Hamza Choudhury has insisted that the national team will not play in fear of any opponent as they prepare for the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Hamza, who plays for English Championship club Sheffield United, has joined the Bangladesh squad in Jakarta and expressed confidence ahead of the tournament.

“We have not come here to be afraid of anyone. We know what our capabilities are. InshaAllah, this is a learning process for us, and we have come here to gain as much experience as possible. Hopefully, we can make our country proud,” Hamza said in a video message released by the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF).

Speaking about Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament, Hamza said the team was excited about the opportunity to face higher-ranked opponents.

“We are very excited and honoured to be here for this tournament. It is obviously a big opportunity for us because we get to play against teams that are higher ranked than us. Our goal is to collect as many points as possible,” he said.

Bangladesh will begin their campaign in Division 1 against Malaysia on Friday. In Division 2, Laos will face Brunei and Myanmar will take on Timor-Leste in the opening matches in Hong Kong on Thursday.

Hamza also spoke highly of Indonesia, who Bangladesh will face later in the tournament.

“Let’s see how our performance goes. Indonesia are in a very good position in the rankings. They have very good-quality players and a very good head coach. Especially in the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, I would not be surprised if they are right at the top,” he said.

Bangladesh have yet to visit the tournament’s main venue, the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

“We haven’t seen the stadium yet. InshaAllah, we will see the stadium tomorrow (Thursday),” Hamza added.