The Central Asian side, which also has five officials, take on Bangladesh at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur tomorrow at 3pm.

Currently the former Soviet republic is ranked 180th on the FIFA listing compared to the hosts' 147th.

But the visiting team is not overly concerned at the rankings.

"We aren't bothered by the rankings. They are just a list and nothing else. We have come here to play good football like in the Asian qualifiers," said Tajikistan coach Nazarov Sharif during a press briefing at the Bangladesh Football Federation conference room in the afternoon.

And like Bangladesh, the visitors were also in dark about their opponents.

"I don't know much about Bangladesh except some basic information." Sharif said when asked if he had done any homework before coming to Dhaka.

However the Tajiks were full of confidence going into the big match although they narrowly failed to qualify for the 2004 Asian Cup.

"We started our campaign with a 1-0 win over Thailand in the first leg, then earned goalless draws against Hong Kong and Uzbekistan. We also

lost to Uzbekistan 4-1, and 1-0 to Thailand. And only won against Hong Kong in the second leg," the Tajik coach said.

There are only seven Tajik players who are semi-professionals.

Sharif said, "Yes, just seven footballers are playing in professional leagues. Two players (Tuvchiev Alisher and Knitel Denis) have played in Russia."

Although the Tajiks might start as underdogs, Bangladesh were still not complacent.

"We must ensure that we take advantage of playing on home soil, otherwise I don't think we will be able to compete in the freezing conditions when we travel to Dushanbe for the second leg," said coach Golam Sarwar Tipu.

Bangladesh will play their away match on November 30.

TEAMS

BANGLADESH: Rajani Kanta Barman (captain), Hasan Al Mamun (vice-captain), Aminul Haq, Biplob Bhattacharjee, Mohammad Sujon, Nazrul Islam, Firoz Mahmud Hossain Titoo, Mahmudul Hasan, Arif Khan Joy, Arman Miah, Mustafa Anwar Parvez, Monwar Hossain, Motiur Munna, Azmol Hossain Biddyut, Saiful Islam, Alfaz Ahmed, Ariful Kabir Farhad, Rukunuzzaman Kanchan, Saifur Rahman Moni and Mehedi Hasan Ujjal.

Officials: Golam Rasul Molla (team leader), Golam Sarwar Tipu (coach), Syeed Hasan Kanan (manager), Mahmudul Haq Liton (assistant coach), Dr Khandakar Mahmudul Haq (team physician).

TAJIKISTAN: Khabibulloev Aslidin, Tuvchiev Alisher, Turdiev Akhliddin, Knitel Denis, Oev Dzhamolidin, Khuiamov Subkhon, Zuvavdov Zafardion, Irgashev Odil, Norkulov Anvar, Khakimov Numonion, Mominov Takhirdzhon, Nazarov Oraz, Kholmatov Akmal, Khamidov Sukhrov, Rabiev Yusuf, Burkhanov Pirmurod, Muhidinov Dzhomi-khon, Negmatov Shuio and Ahkmedov Bahkromion.

Officials: Nazarov Sharif (coach), Radzhabov Khasan (manager), Yuldashev Abdugapor (assistant coach), Gafurov Favzullo (administrative officer) and Avezov Faruh (doctor).