FIFA World Cup 2018 Qualifier: Nepal vs India - Match Preview
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Nepal will host India for the second leg of the FIFA World Cup 2018 preliminary qualifying game on Tuesday at the Dasarath Stadium, Kathmandu. India defeated Nepal 2-0 in the first leg game held in Guwahati, thanks to a brace from Sunil Chhetri. Nepal will be desperate to turn the odds in their favour in tomorrow’s game and qualify for the next stage of the qualifiers.
India are favourites to win this game too, but we can expect a mouth watering clash between these two South Asian rivals.
Venue
Dasarath Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Tripureshwor, Kathmandu. Holding 17,800, it is the biggest stadium in Nepal. It is named after Dasarath Chand, one of the martyrs of Nepal.
The stadium is currently used mostly for football matches and cultural and entertainment programs. Three Stars Club are the tenants of the stadium. It has floodlights installed to facilitate matches and events in evenings. Most of Nepal's national and international tournaments are held in this stadium.
Kick-off
March 17, 2015: 3:15 pm – India (IST)
Possible starting line up
India (4-4-2): Subrata Pal (c); Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Arnab Mondal, Saumik Dey; Francis Fernandes, Lenny Rodrigues, Eugenson Lyngdoh, Jackichand Singh; Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh.
India coach Stephen Constantine may make one change from the winning side. Second half substitute in the last game, Jackichand Singh, may make his way into the first team in place of Lalrindika Ralte who was not at all impressive in last week’s match. The rest of the team is likely to remain same.
Nepal (5-4-1): Kiran Chemjong, Biraj Mahajan, Sagar Thapa (C), Sandip Rai, Rabin Srestha; Rohit Chand, Bikram Lama, Jagajeet Srestha, Bhola Silwal; Bharat Khawas, Bimal Nagar.
Nepal is likely to field an unchanged side from last week’s game against India at Guwahati. Nepal players did a decent job, even though they were defeated by the home side. This time around at their own den Nepal will look forward to change the direction of the game.
Key Battles
Sunil Chhetri vs Sagar Thapa
Everybody is aware of what Sunil Chhetri is capable of. He is a real threat against any defence and can impose a lot of pressure on the opponent. He is possibly the best striker among the SAFF nations. The India vice-captain scored a brace of goals last game to guide his team to a comfortable win.
Chhetri is the biggest threat to the Nepalese defence and captain Sagar Thapa will have to keep Chhetri under strict marking.
Jagjit Shrestha vs Pritam Kotal
Jagjit Shrestha is a young crafty winger in this Nepal side who can generate a lot of threat to the Indian defence. He has the experience of training with German club VFB Stuttgart.
Indian right-back Pritam Kotal should keep Shrestha under strict vigilance. In the last game, Kotal was beaten on several occasions by Shrestha, thereby inviting dangerous situations for the Indian team.
Prediction – Nepal 0-1 India