Preview: Can India turn the tide against Nepal at SAFF Championship?

The Blue Tigers were held to consecutive draws by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in their first two matches.

India are reeling in the SAFF Championship 2021. For the first time in their history of participating in the tournament, the Blue Tigers drawn their first two games. India have only scored one goal and produced arguably their worst performance under Igor Stimac against Sri Lanka.

Now they face a Nepal side, who are comfortably placed on the top of the table. India have to significantly improve their quality of play & show more urgency to get a win here. Make another blunder and that could signal the end of their run at the SAFF Championship for good.

SAFF Championship 2021 Live Commentary: Nepal vs India

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Nepal vs India: The Stakes

The stakes have never been higher for an Indian national team in any SAFF Championship. Never in the past have they failed to win any of their first two games. A lot of pressure is on the back of this squad, but they must show they have the character to thrive under it.

India desperately need a win in this one. Not just that, but they have to identify their playing identity. That includes being hungrier while hunting for goals, moving the ball quicker and mixing things up in the attack. If they are as lethargic as they were against Sri Lanka, things could go from bad to worse very quickly.

Nepal have had a perfect start to their SAFF Championship campaign. Having won both their opening games, the Gorkhalis are flying high on momentum. They will be hungry to get their revenge for the friendly loss to India in September.

The Gorkhalis realise that India are going through a rough patch and will look to capitalize on that. They will look to frustrate the Blue Tigers by sitting defensive and hit them strongly on the counter-attack. A win not only helps Nepal qualify for the final, but also puts a major dent on India’s chances to get there. That itself means a lot is riding on them to get a win over this wounded Indian side.

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Team News

India came out from the draw against Sri Lanka with no injury problems, meaning Stimac has a full squad to pick from in this must-win game against Nepal. Chinglensana Singh, Pritam Kotal and Manvir Singh were left on the bench in India's last match but Stimac didn't reveal if the trio had suffered any knocks. All three are therefore expected to be available for the Nepal clash.

Similarly, Nepal also do not have any injury concerns going into Sunday's big game.

Nepal Vs India: Probable Lineups

India XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Seriton Fernandes, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Glan Martins, Mohammed Yasir, Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, Liston Colaco, Sunil Chhetri

Nepal XI: Kiram Limbu (GK), Gautam Shrestha, Ananta Tamang, Rohit Chand, Suman Aryal, Suman Lama, Bishal Rai, Pujan Uparkoti, Tej Tamang, Anjan Bista, Manish Dangi

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Players to Watch

Sunil Chhetri (India)

In the last 15 years, whenever India has needed a hero, Sunil Chhetri has emerged to drag them out of difficult situations. The Indian captain will be tasked to do the same against Nepal, a team he loves scoring against.

Chhetri just needs to receive more of the ball in the final third to get things done. He looked annoyed at the lack of service against Sri Lanka. However, he might have to play deeper to get things created himself. Chhetri doesn’t miss many inside the box, so he’ll look to get the ball in those prime areas to score goals and give India a much-needed win.

Anjan Bista (Nepal)

Bista was a real thorn for India in the last two games between these two sides. Albeit fortunate, but he scored in the 1-1 draw when India and Nepal met in two friendlies in September. Bista’s movement and awareness in the final third make him a threat to the opposition defenders.

He can carry the ball forward efficiently and has enough pace to trouble the Indian backline. Bista will be determined to get into more promising scoring areas and hurry the Indian defenders with his pressing. If able to find his clinical touch, Bista can really torment the Indian backline and help his side scratch out a precious result.

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Did you know?

• India enjoys a prolific record against Nepal, having defeated them 14 times in 21 meetings in their history.
• The last time Nepal beat India was in the 2013 SAFF Championship group stages.
• Sunil Chhetri has scored six goals in 10 appearances against Nepal so far in his career.

Telecast

The Nepal vs India match will take place at the National Stadium, Male on Sunday, October 10 at 9:30 PM IST. It will be shown LIVE on Eurosport and Eurosport HD, while also be available for streaming on Discovery+ and Jio TV.

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