SAFF Championship 2023: Three key battles that can decide India-Nepal tie

This is a do-or-die game for the Gorkhalis.

India take on Nepal in the second game of the Group A SAFF Championship 2023 fixture at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday. India easily cruised past their arch-rivals Pakistan in a 4-0 first encounter while Nepal lost to Kuwait in their first game.

India however, will be without their head coach Igor Stimac on the sidelines as he notoriously picked a red card for his antics against Pakistan. Meanwhile, his counterpart Vincenzo Alberto Annese will use his three years’ experience in India and try to create an upset.  

India will have to repeat the same thing that they are doing for the past two weeks and Nepal have to really work hard on the tactical aspects as mentioned by their Italian coach who claimed they have come up with very little preparation into the tournament. Let us look at the three key battles which may decide the outcome of the game.

Sunil Chhetri vs Ananta Tamang

Leading from the front, captain Sunil Chhetri scored a hattrick against Pakistan in the first game and he will look to add few more goals when takes the field on Saturday. The sole duty of stopping him will rely upon the young Ananta Tamang.  The young ANFA academy graduate had a short stint at Spanish Club Marbella, before coming back to Nepal to play at Three Star Club.

He even had a short stint with East Bengal as he was roped in as a Asian Quota player replacing Tomislav Mrcela. Tamang currently plies his trade with Nepali outfit Church Boys United and his strength relies on his pace and his positioning intercepting the dangers coming his way.

Anirudh Thapa vs Arik Bista

Arik Bista is yet another young Gorkhali who would be eager to show his capabilities in the upcoming game against India. He will be tasked to run the midfield for the Nepali side and he will come up against a star Indian Midfielder Anirudh Thapa who is an experienced campaigner in the Indian outfit.

Anirudh and Arik did not have the best of the games in their respective first encounters but will look to stamp an authority in the heart of the pitch on Saturday.

Anjan Bista vs Nikhil Poojary

 The duty to score the goals for Nepal will rely on Anjan Bista and Bimal Gharti Nagar but one particular battle which we will likely see is Anjan Bista vs Nikhil Poojary. Anjan, who scored a consolation goal for Nepal in their first game against Kuwait, will be again tasked to find the back of the net on Saturday. Anjan has recently played for Mumbai I-League outfit Kenkre FC, but was unable to help them to survive in the league. Anjan comes with a big reputation and he will be likely tasked against the rapidly rising right-back Poojary.

Poojary, on the other hand, did not start the first game against Pakistan but will most likely return for the game on Saturday. He was exceptional against Lebanon in the recently concluded Intercontinental cup and will look to carry on with his form