A lacklustre India will face an in-form Maldives today in the second semi-final of the 10th SAFF Championship at the Dasharath Rangashala Stadium in Kathmandu.
Six-time champions India would like a repeat of the previous meeting between the two sides in the last edition of the regional football tournament at home in 2011, when they overcame the Maldivians 3-1 in the last four.
Maldives are the form team of the tournament after thrashing Sri Lanka 10-0 and Bhutan 8-0 before a stalemate in their last Group B match against Afghanistan.
India, on the other hand, secured their semi-final place from Group A at the eleventh hour as they fell to a narrow 2-1 defeat against hosts Nepal in their final group match.
India, ranked 145th and eight places ahead of Maldives in the world rankings, won their opening match 1-0 against Pakistan before drawing their second match against Bangladesh.
Maldives captain Ali Ashfaq will spearhead his team’s challenge after scoring an incredible 10 goals in two matches.
Meanwhile, India will miss the services of their captain Sunil Chhetri, who is suspended for the tie after receiving two yellow cards in the last two matches.
Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi sounded cautious ahead of the clash against India, against whom the Island nation lost the final of the 2009 SAFF Championship in Dhaka.
‘India are a difficult opposition because they are is well-organised and have a lot of potential. This is a very competitive competition and it doesn’t matter whom you play in the semi-final. It will be a tough game. There will be a big fight to reach the final,’ said the 46-year-old Hungarian.
‘This is a new game, a new chance and a new story. It is interesting as we played in the semis two years ago. I hope and wish we don’t have the same result,’ he added.
Maldives have already scored a whopping 18 goals in three matches in the group stage.
Meanwhile, India coach Wim Koevermans said that his unit has performed well till now to progress to the last four.
‘I worked with my team from the start and we knew what group we were in, which is the group of death. It was tough. But now we are in the semi-finals, which is great and we are now working on the next game,’ said the Dutchman.
Koevermans also pointed out that Maldives had a relatively easier passage to the last four.
‘[Maldives] were not in the group of death. I can’t do anything about them but I watched their games. Which group do you think was easier, their group or our group?’ asked Koevermans.
‘I said the opposition were not as strong as those in the group of death, that’s as simple an answer I can give,’ he added.
Koevermans, however, reiterated his belief that after three tough matches in the group stage, India were now getting ready to play their fourth final.
‘I don’t have to motivate the team. We are setting the target of winning the SAFF Cup, so we had three tough games and this is the fourth one, as I said before we have to play five finals to keep the Cup,’ he said.
‘But it will also be a tough game, so we are prepared for that. We never under-estimate any team,’ he added.
The semi-final will be telecast live by Star Sports 2 at 6:45pm (BST).
-With New Age input
