A 4-0 hammering of Pakistan giving them the perfect start, India will have a wonderful opportunity to move closer to the semi-finals of the Bangabandhu SAFF Championship when they face Nepal at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on Saturday.
On paper, the hosts hold all the aces, evidenced by an overwhelming 16-2 overall head-to-head record in 23 matches played between them, a sequence that started in the 1985 SAF Games.
The last meeting between the two sides was during the 2021 SAFF Championship when India defeated Nepal 3-0.
As far as the SAFF tournament is concerned, India also have a commanding 6-2 head-to-head record from nine matches. Even the recent form of both the teams indicates an Indian domination.
India entered the SAFF Championship on the back of their 2-0 triumph over Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final in Odisha.
The Blue Tigers carried that confidence into their opening match, turning on the afterburners to hammer Pakistan 4-0 and the victory was laced by captain Sunil Chhetri’s hat-trick.
Chhetri’s effort might have come as a relief for India as they are missing the services of injured Ishan Pandita upfront.
India will be without the services of head coach Igor Stimac after he was shown red card during India's 4-0 win over Pakistan in the ill-tempered opening match. Assistant coach Mahesh Gawli will take charge of the team at the dug out. Stimac will return against Kuwait on June 27.
South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) general secretary Anwarul Huq said Stimac's offence was not serious enough to attract a ban of more than one match and as such it will not be referred to the disciplinary committee for further action. "He (Stimac) will serve a one-match ban, not more than that," he said.
Nepal went down 1-3 to Kuwait in their opening match and a positive result against India, however tough that might be, is mandatory for them to stay alive in the tournament.
However, India will have to guard against complacency as Nepal have the wherewithal to spring a surprise. Nepal’s 31-year-old midfielder Rohit Chand, who plays in Indonesian League, and forward Anjan Bista could be surprise packages.
The Indian camp is very much aware of Nepal’s potency and assistant coach Gawli warned his side against letting their guard down. “Nepal) played a very good game against Kuwait. It will be a very tough match for us,” Gawli said.
