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Venue: Kanchenjunga Stadium, Siliguri
Kickoff: Tuesday, November 19 2013, 18:00 IST
Seeking Redemption
The Indian national team will be up against neighbours Nepal in their final match of 2013. It has been a difficult year for India as they failed to qualify for the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup and also couldn’t retain the SAFF Championship. So this game gives them a great opportunity to end the year on a high and also seek revenge for the 2-1 defeat that they suffered against Nepal in Kathmandu at SAFF 2013. India are still winless in international friendlies under Wim Koevermans but this is the first time under the Dutchman that they will be facing a lower-ranked opponent in a friendly. India matched higher-ranked Philippines on Friday in one of their better displays under Koevermans and also could have won had Jeje Lalpekhlua taken his golden chance in stoppage time. A draw against Philippines was a decent result but anything less than a win in this game won’t be good enough.
The two impressive features of India’s performance against the Philippines were that they physically never looked tired and also defended very well as a team because they limited a quality attack to very few clear cut chances. The same organisation and discipline will be necessary in this match also but India would also have to be flamboyant in attack and convert their chances. Goal scoring has been a problem for India recently as they have managed just two goals from open play in their last seven matches with one of them being an own-goal. Koevermans publicly doesn’t express concern about that statistic as he feels the team is creating plenty of opportunities but he would be hoping that his side doesn’t only depend on Sunil Chhetri or set pieces for the goals. The India captain’s return to form is a big boost but others must also step up and share the goal-scoring responsibility.
India’s home advantage was a key factor in the game against Philippines as the South-East Asian nation didn’t look comfortable with the weather of Siliguri especially in the second half when they got tired. But Nepal are much more used to the conditions with 13 of their players coming into this game having played in the ongoing Sikkim Governors Gold Cup in Gangtok and they will also have the backing of some Nepali fans. On paper though India does look like the stronger side mainly due to the few notable absentees in the Nepal team but Koevermans’ side will have to raise their game and take some of the opportunities they get from open play. The game will have a derby feel to it and the Indian players will have to prove a point to Koevermans after producing a dismal performance in the SAFF 2013 encounter. It’s fair to say that the hosts will be under pressure to win this fixture.
Confidence High
For a long time, there was bit of an inferiority complex in the Nepal camp whenever they faced India. But that seems to have changed somewhat after Nepal’s memorable win in the SAFF Championship, which was their first victory against India’s senior team in almost two decades. Nepal are in fact unbeaten in their last two matches against India as they earned a goalless draw at the 2012 Nehru Cup in New Delhi. As a result the confidence in the Nepal squad is sky high with coach Jack Stefanowski and the players determined to win in India this time. Nepal might be placed 11 spots below India in the FIFA Rankings but the gap between the two nations is actually much smaller mainly due to the fact that India have gone backwards since the 2011 Asian Cup and another positive result for Nepal in this game will confirm that.
However Nepal will be slight underdogs for this clash as three key players are unavailable. The versatile Rohit Chand is on trials at Danish top tier outfit FC Vestsjaelland while 16-year-old Bimal Gharti Magar is off to Holland for trial-cum-training stints at FC Twente and Ajax. The foreign exposure for the duo is great news for Nepal and South Asian football but their absence makes the national team weaker and the unavailability of Bharat Khawas, who is doing the Army cadet course, adds to the woes of Stefanowski. The Polish American is still trying to be optimistic by suggesting that it is an opportunity for others but since the pool of international level players is smaller in Nepal, the absence of that trio gives them a big disadvantage. Fatigue will also be a concern for Stefanowski as 13 of his players were in action in Sikkim Governors Cup with the whole squad only having a couple of training sessions together before this game.
Another interesting aspect of this match is the personal agenda that most of the Nepal players have as they want to impress and catch the attention of the I-League clubs. Such a scenario can work both ways and Stefanowski would be hoping that it doesn’t stop them from playing as a team. But despite those negatives, Nepal would still be confident of getting a result to confirm that they are a national team that is on the rise. They are very difficult to beat at home which even higher-ranked Palestine found out earlier this year but Nepal will have to start producing results away as well to climb up the international ladder and any match against neighbours India is always extra special for the Gorkhalis. Nepal will be looking to cause an upset no doubt but even a draw will be a creditable result for a team that hasn’t had the best preparation.
Form Guide
India: DLWLD
India’s winning percentage in this calendar year is less than 50 % with just four wins in 11 matches. They haven’t won an international friendly for almost two years now and last defeated Nepal at the 2008 SAFF Championship when they won 4-0.
Nepal: DWDWL
Interestingly this is Nepal’s first match outside home soil since the 2012 Nehru Cup and to find their last win outside Nepal, one would have to go back to the 2011 SAFF Championship where they beat Bangladesh 1-0 in the group stage.
Team News
India
Wim Koevermans has hinted that he could rotate his team but given the solidity of their performance against higher-ranked Philippines, the Euro 1988 winner could be tempted to stick to the same eleven and possibly use all of his six substitutions in the second period. Robin Singh seemed to have pulled his hamstring against Philippines but the injury doesn’t look bad and thus he should start upfront with Sunil Chhetri just behind him.
Possible XI: Karanjit Singh; Denzil Franco, Arnab Mondal, Aibor Khongjee, Gurjinder Kumar; Francis Fernandes, Lenny Rodrigues, Mehtab Hossain, Clifford Miranda; Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh
Nepal
Nepal coach Stenowski has a couple of selection headaches as dependable central midfielder is doubtful due to an ankle injury while Jagjeet Shrestha is also carrying a slight knock. But Jagjeet is expected to start in a new-look midfield compared to SAFF 2013 where Chand and Khawas were regular starters. The Polish American tactician would also have to take the fitness level of the players who were in action at the Sikkim Governors Gold Cup a couple of days ago.
Possible XI: Kiran Chemjong; Biraj Maharjan, Sandip Rai, Sagar Thapa, Rabin Shrestha; Tanka Basnet, Bikram Lama, Bhola Silwal, Jagjeet Shrestha; Jumanu Rai, Anil Gurung
Key Men
India – Sunil Chhetri
The skipper was one of India’s best players in the draw with Philippines and with a bit of luck could have scored more than once. Sunil will be aiming to get on the scoresheet in this game also after failing to score against Nepal in the last two meetings and end the year on a high.
Nepal – Anil Gurung
The 25-year-old is quite candid about his desire to return to the I-League so in that case this match will be the ideal audition. Anil scored in the 2-1 win at SAFF 2013 and would relish playing against India’s inexperienced backline.
