The match between the two Group A teams, who are totally unknown to each other, will kick off at 4pm at the Bangabandhu National Stadium (BNS).

"As far as we know, they are a better side than East Bengal. That's why we will need more than hundred per cent effort in the field tomorrow. But I am confident that we are going to be competitive. The goalless draw against East Bengal was really inspiring for us," said Manik during a press briefing at the BNS yesterday.

"They have good number of national booters and you know Jordan were one of the semifinalists in the last Asia Cup. So they should be a pretty good side. But we don't want to concentrate on probable strengths on paper. We want to taste our first victory in our sixth attempt in this competition," said the former national defender.

Muktijoddha will be boosted by the return of the country's number one goalkeeper Aminul Haque, who is eligible again after serving a one-match ban. But the Reds will miss the inspirational presence of Bangladesh international left-back Hasan al-Mamun who is struggling to recover from a hamstring injury that kept him out of the first match also.

"Al-Mamun is one of our key players and midfielder Iqbal's chances of playing is also slim. But Aminul will definitely inspire the team," said Manik.

Manik added that his side's pre-season training has been good despite the perennial problem with finding a suitable training ground.

"We have had some tough training leading up to this tournament because we feel we are fighting to uphold the country's image. I think we have a more balanced side than in the previous season with the inclusion of national stars Rajani, Arman and Titu," said Manik whose side appeared in four AFC Cup matches last year, losing three and drawing the other.

Al Faisaly official who attended the pre-match official press briefing at the same venue, said the ground and weather were tailor-made to suit them.

"Tomorrow's match is very important for both sides as we have one point each. In the previous match we drew 1-1 against Turkmenistan's Nebitchi but we are hopeful of a better performance against Muktijodha," said technical manager Mohammad Naser Hussein Alodali whose team reached Dhaka on Monday evening.

SQUAD
Muktijoddha Sangsad (from): Aminul, Saiful, Titu, Rajani, Harry, Ghansha, Belal, Arman, Biddyut, Iqbal, Pappu, Moni and Kanchan.