There are no favourites in the SAFF U-15 Championship- Bibiano Fernandes

The Blue Colts' boss feels every participating team including Nepal has been training well for the tournament.

As India gets ready to host the sixth edition of the SAFF U-15 Championship at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal, the monsoon in the state has risen as a major problem for all the participating teams. Apart from India, other age-group sides from Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka will be competing in the tournament and hope to clinch the title, ahead of the AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers next month.

Bangladesh come into the tournament as the defending champions, who defeated Pakistan on penalties (3-2) in the 2018 edition. While Pakistan will not be participating in this year's edition, two-time champions India (2013, 2017) will also be vying to get their hands on the trophy.

Watch: India U-15 Vs Nepal U-15 pre-match press conference

Ahead of the kick-off on August 21, head coaches and players from all the participating nations appeared for a press conferene at the venue on Tuesday.

Coach's Corner

Bibiano Fernandes (India)

The Indian team, coached by Bibiano Fernandes, under whose tutelage it has experienced major development in the last year or so, will be playing their opening game against Nepal on Wednesday. While many would put the hosts ahead of the visitors in the match, Fernandes would like to differ.

"There is no one team - tough opponent as such. We will take each match at one time and we think that everybody, all the countries are doing well at youth level," the tactician quipped. "I feel Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka - everybody will be preparing well for this tournament," he added.

Although, Fernandes feels every team will be showcasing the best of their abilities and there is no favorite in the tournament, he also mentioned that the development of his side is going according to plan, while also hinting that the recent exposure tour to Thailand will come in handy for the boys in the championship.

"Till now it is going according to the plan. The team is doing well. We had a good exposure in Thailand," the India U-15 boss opined. "We started with the team in February. In May, we had an exposure tour to Italy. That was our first exposure and from there, we have made a lot of changes," Bibiano continued.

The Indian team, which will take part in the tournament just returned from an exposure tour of Thailand, where they defeated the likes of Chonburi FC and Bangkok Glass FC, while scoring 17 times and conceding only four.

Bibiano feels the secret to the success of the team lies in teamwork, not on any individual player. "Everyone is doing well. I feel that a team is more important than one player," Fernandes said when asked about the key player in his team.

The India U-15 team, who are scheduled to begin their AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers next month, are the same ones who will be participating in the tournament from Wednesday. The last edition of the continental qualifiers saw India make it to the main round in 2018, where they finished second in the group behind Indonesia. When asked if the SAFF Championship will be an ideal preparation for the qualifiers next month, Bibiano seemed optimistic.

"SAFF has always been a stage where we can test our teams. This is a perfect competition (sic.)," Fernandes answered. Bibiano was accompanied to the press conference by one of the two Bengali boys in the India U-15 squad, central defender Anish Mazumder, who comes from Bandel, not too far from Kalyani, where the tournament will be held.

While the prospect of playing in front of his local crowd excites the youngster, Mazumder also agreed with Fernandes that there are no favourites ahead of the tournament. "As I see it, every team is equal. We must not take any team for granted (sic.)," the youngster said.

Shailendra Kumar Shrestha (Nepal)

In recent times, Nepal's work in grassroots development has been regarded widely. The junior Gorkhalis, who achieved fourth place in the tournament's 2018 edition and were runners-up on two occassions (2013, 2017), are now vying to win the trophy for the first time in their history.

The Nepali side were defeated in the final of the tournament twice, both times by India. Despite the fact, head coach Shailendra Kumar Shrestha feels there is no added pressure on his team. "We are feeling good in India. We're out of the city here, it is a very peaceful area. We have come here to play in the games, for which we have prepared to the best of our abilities," he said.

While their Indian counterparts just returned from an exposure tour, the Nepali head coach revealed his side have been playing local sides in their country, but have not played any international games lately.

"We have been training for 3-4 months for this tournament (sic). We have played friendly matches with local teams. However, we could not play an international friendly game," Shreshta revealed. "Our strength lies in our teamwork. In terms of quality, our team is very good. Our first game against India, it will be very tough," he opined.

Nepal kick-off their campaign on Wednesday in the first game of the tournament against India. However, when asked if Shrestha has been keeping tabs on Fernandes' side and his knowledge of the team, the Nepali boss was blunt.

"I haven't seen the present Indian team play. However, I have watched the previous U-16 Indian team play. We became the runners-up in this tournament last year, where India played and we drew against India in the AFC U-16 Championship Qualifiers," he quipped.

"I feel we should become the champions this time. Our target is to become the champions," he signed off.

Time & Venue

The opening game of the SAFF U-15 Championship between India and Nepal will kick-off at 12 PM at the Kalyani Stadium in West Bengal.

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Telecast

The game will be streamed live on MyCujoo.