Pakistan lock horns with Afghanistan today

KARACHI: Ahead of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers next month, Pakistan football team will be looking to record a morale-boosting win when they face Afghanistan in their one-off friendly at Punjab Stadium, Lahore, on Friday (today).
The match starts at 3pm.
Pakistan’s skipper Hassan Bashir has a minor groin problem but a team official said that he would play. “Although he has a minor groin problem, InshaAllah he will play tomorrow,” the team official told this correspondent.
Hassan played his last game for his Danish club Fremad Amager on December 2. He joined Pakistan camp only four days back.
Meanwhile, in the 24-member squad which the authorities unveiled on Thursday, only five players are senior. The rest are under 22 years of age, a team official said.
Hassan Bashir, Mehmood Khan, Ahsanullah, Noor Mohammad and central defender Mohammad Tauseef are the seniors.
Right-back Ahsanullah, midfielder Bilawal-ur-Rehman and Saadullah (all from SSGC) are the players who have played in this year’s second-tier slots.
A top official of Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) said that he was expecting a good show from his players.
“I expect a better game from our players,” PFF secretary Col Ahmed Yar Lodhi said.
“Both teams are mixtures of seniors and juniors and are equally matched. But we will have the home advantage,” Lodhi said.
But he was quick to add that it would depend on how Shamlan’s charges would deliver, particularly in the second half.
“It definitely will depend on how much resolve our boys show. Our team held Palestine last year in Lahore but near the end conceded two goals. But I hope they will play with more responsibility,” Lodhi said.
In a bid to encourage the players, the PFF also announced a substantial increase in the daily allowances of the players.
“The PFF’s executive committee is pleased to increase the daily allowance of the national players for the international events from 60 dollars to 100 dollars,” a PFF press release said.
In 2003, the daily allowance was merely 10 dollars which was subsequently increased to 60 dollars.
“The incentive will boost the morale of the players and they will perform better in future international events,” the PFF said.
FIFA’s referee Khurram Shehzad will supervise the match. He will be assisted by Shafaat Habib and Mohammad Ali as line judges, while Hidayatullah will be the fourth official.
Mian Rizwan will serve as match-commissioner, while Rauf Bari will be the referees’ assessor.
In the managers’ meeting, it has been decided that six substitutions each will be allowed to the two teams.
Pakistan squad: Saqib Hanif, Ahsanullah, Muzammil Hussain (all goalkeepers), Mohammad Bilal, Naveed Ahmed, Ahsan Ullah, Mohammad Riaz, Mohsin Ali, Saddam Hussain, Bilawal-ur-Rehman, Mehmood Khan, Mansoor Khan, Shahram Babar, Mohammad Tahir, Mohammad Tahir, Sana Ullah, Saad Ullah, Mohammad Sufyan Asif, Muhammad Tauseef, Habib-Ur-Rehman, Shahbaz, Israr, Noor Muhammad, Hassan Bashir (skipper)
Officials: Mohammad Shamlan (coach), Hasan Baloch, Tanvir Ahmad (both assistant coaches), Mohammad Asghar (manager), Zahid Taj (goalkeeping coach), Fahad (physiotherapist), Mohammad Aslam, Farooq Jamal (both masseur).