Bangladesh have a realistic chance of winning the SAFF Championship for the first time in 23 years, head coach Thomas Dooley said on Wednesday, ahead of the tournament’s opening in Dhaka on Thursday.

Bangladesh last lifted the title in 2003, also on home soil.

The hosts will begin their campaign against Bhutan at 8pm on Thursday, following the opening match between India and Pakistan at 3:30pm.

“We are confident that we can play, fight and achieve our goal. I think we have a realistic chance of winning this tournament. It is possible after 23 years,” Dooley told a press conference at a Dhaka hotel.

“But it will take hard work, playing with confidence and fighting until the last minute,” he added.

Dooley said Bangladesh had come into the tournament with the ambition of winning the title and would have to prove their intentions against every opponent.

He also urged his players to treat the support of the home crowd as a source of strength rather than pressure.

Captain Topu Barman acknowledged the expectations surrounding the team but said the players were ready to embrace the challenge.

“Of course, there is pressure. But I think where there is pressure, good results come from it. We have to understand what our football fans want. They want us to win matches and win the trophy,” he said.

Bangladesh will be without midfielder Hamza Choudhury for their opening match against Bhutan, as the FIFA international window does not begin until November 9.

Topu said Hamza’s absence would be felt but expressed hope that the team could secure a victory before his arrival.

“I will miss Hamza a lot. We really need leadership like him in our team,” he said.

“But we knew in advance that we would not have him for the first match because of the schedule. Our job is to make the path easier for him, which means winning against Bhutan. We want him to join a winning team,” he added.

Topu, a centre-back, is now fully fit and available for Thursday’s match. Dooley said the defender’s absence had been a setback during the Asian Cup qualifiers.

Bangladesh did not play any warm-up matches ahead of the tournament, with Dooley citing difficulties in finding suitable opponents and injury and fitness concerns among several players.

Topu was among those who had fitness concerns at the time and was not ready to play a full 90 minutes.

Dooley said the team had instead focused on addressing basic mistakes in passing and ball control during training.

Asked why Topu was appointed captain ahead of Jamal Bhuyan, the coach said a defender could organise the team from the back, adding that Bangladesh needed multiple leaders on the pitch.