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Nepal and Mauritius will square off in an international friendly fixture at the Dasharath Rangasala on Saturday.
The game will be the first of a double-header, with the second leg billed to take place next Tuesday.
The home side have not been in action since suffering a 3-0 defeat to India in the final of the SAFF Championship. All three goals came in the second half to help India to an eighth SAFF Championship title.
The game will represent Mauritius' return to action after two years away from the international scene. Les Dodos were last in action when they played out a 2-2 draw with the Seychelles in the Bangabandhu Cup in January 2020. They came back from being two goals behind at halftime to secure a draw.
Nepal vs Mauritius Head-to-Head
This will be the first international meeting between the two sides. Mauritius are currently on an 11-game winless run, losing nine. They have not tasted victory since a 3-1 win over New Caledonia in a friendly in March 2019. Nepal have won two and drawn one of their last five matches.
Nepal form guide: L-D-L-W-W
Mauritius form guide: D-L-L-L-L
Nepal vs Mauritius Team News
Nepal
There are no known injury or suspension concerns for Nepal.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Mauritius
There are also no known injuries or suspension concerns for the visitors.
Injuries: None
Suspension: None
Nepal vs Mauritius Predicted XI
Nepal Predicted XI (4-3-3): Kiran Chemjong (GK); Rohit Chand, Ananta Tamang, Suman Aryal, Dinesh Rajbanshi; Sujal Shrestha, Bishal Rai, Tej Tamang; Anjan Bista, Nawayug Shrestha, Suman Lama
Mauritius Predicted XI (4-4-2): Kevin Jean-Louis (GK); Lindsay Rose, Jean-Francois, Jean-Fabrice Augustin, Jonathan Speville; Samuel Brasse, Adel Langue, Andy Patate, Kevin Perticots; Jonathan Justin, Stephan Nabab
Nepal vs Mauritius Prediction
Nepal have home advantage in their favor and Mauritius' lack of action over the past two years means their players are likely to take some time to blend in with one another.
Considering both sides' low pedigree in international football, this should be a low-scoring game with very few chances. Mauritius are likely to sit deep to absorb the pressure in the early stages of the game while getting to grips with one another again.
Nepal's limited attacking prowess means they might not readily take advantage of this, although we are backing the hosts to secure a narrow victory in addition to a clean sheet.
Prediction: Nepal 1-0 Mauritius
