Nepal's chance of winning against India is slim, admits Abdullah Almutairi

The Gorkhalis are currently on the top of the table of SAFF Championship 2021.

If two international friendlies were not enough for the football-bound rivalry, India and Nepal will lock horns again in their third match of the ongoing SAFF Championship. Igor Stimac's India will fight to find their form against Abdullah Almutairi and his Nepal side at the Maldives National Football Stadium on Sunday.

India, in addition to their seven SAFF Championship triumphs, have had a positive result against their neighbors. The last friendly between these sides ended in a 1-2 win for India. While that might be a factor to look at, India's form in the ongoing tournament will be the more crucial one. Nepal, on the other hand, are off to a flying start as they are the only side with a 100% winning rate so far in the tournament.

Ahead of the fixture, Abdullah Almutairi was joined by the goalkeeper and captain Kiran Kumar Limbu at the pre-match press conference on Saturday.

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Regarding India's strengths as an opponent

With unsullied honesty, Abdullah Almutairi began the conference admitting India to be the favorites. “Tomorrow will be a difficult game for us," he started. "India is the best team in this region. They’ve been the champions seven times, and have also done it with their under-23 sides. I think India have a 95% chance of winning the match. The chance of a draw is 4%, whereas Nepal’s chance to win is just 1%.”

He also expected Nepal to minimize the defeat margin, asserting the side will still attack against the rivals. “India have a lot at stake tomorrow and I hope we don’t lose heavily against India. We will try our best and hope the best for us,” he said.

Similarly, the Nepal head coach showed his respect for the Stimac's side, yet admitted to not being scared of their opponents.

Nepal's successful start to the tournament

Commenting on Nepal's start to the tournament, Abdullah Almutairi asked for the fans to be patient. After a hard-fought victory against Maldives followed by a 2-3 win against Sri Lanka, Nepal have been looked at as the favorites. A draw from the remaining two fixtures will see the country qualify for the final for the first time in its history, which has had confident Nepali fans open up celebrations.

“Let’s take it step by step," he addressed the fans. "The ongoing celebrations in Nepal are wrong. People must understand that we haven’t qualified yet. We haven’t done anything. We have two more steps to get there.”

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Anonymous final note

After the press conference was called off, Almutairi asked for a brief moment to address an anonymous person. Referring to the person as 'he' and 'someone', Almutairi promised to respond on the pitch rather than the press conference.

“I prefer to respond on the field rather than talking in the press conference," he said. "This message is for someone. He will get to watch my response.” 

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Captain's thoughts on the game

Nepal's captain and custodian Limbu echoed the head coach's sentiments, lauding India as the favorites. "We’ve prepared well for tomorrow’s match. But as coach said, it will be a tough one for us," he admitted.

In addition, Limbu commented on Nepal's approach to take each match as a step towards the final. Reminding everyone about the fact that Nepal are still the underdogs, he commented on what reaching the finals will mean for his country.

“Dreaming about something is the first step towards achieving it. We’re fighting for something that the whole Nepal has dreamt for a long time. Tomorrow’s match is an important match to make that dream come true," he concluded.

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