The Blue Tigers secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Pakistan on Wednesday, while Nepal are heading into the match on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Kuwait.
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India will take on Nepal in the second round fixture of the 2023 SAFF Championship at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday evening. The Blue Tigers secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Pakistan on Wednesday, while Nepal are heading into the match on the back of a 3-1 defeat to Kuwait. The victory helped Igor Stimac’s side to occupy top spot in Group A, with three points to their name, and a second consecutive win in the weekend could seal their place in the semi-finals of the tournament. The Gorkhalis, meanwhile, are sitting at the third spot in the four-team table, yet to open their account.
The #BlueTigers 🐯 are back in action today 🤩😍
India 🇮🇳 take on Nepal 🇳🇵 for the second game of their #SAFFChampionship2023 campaign 🔥💙
Watch the match LIVE on @FanCode and DD Bharati 📱📺 #NEPIND ⚔️ #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/8SBEElcrVa
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 24, 2023
India started off their title-defence with a thrilling and dominant victory over arch rivals Pakistan in the mid-week, scoring four goals without reply thanks to captain Sunil Chhetri’s hat-trick and substitute Udanta Singh’s late effort. Stimac’s men dominated the proceeding at Sree Kanteerava stadium in rainy conditions, recording close to 70% ball possession, attempting 23 shots with seven of them on target, while restricting Pak Shaheen to zero efforts on target. The result extended Blue Tigers’ unbeaten run to seven games, winning six of them, while not conceding a single goal in the period. The impressive run of form has helped India to climb to the 98th spot in the latest FIFA rankings.
Nepal, on the other hand, at 174, are the third lowest-ranked team in the tournament after Pakistan and Bangladesh. The Gorkhalis came into the competition on the back of a 1-0 friendly-defeat to Philippines and didn’t have a great start, losing out to Kuwait in their opening group-match on Wednesday courtesy of goals from Khalid El Ebrahim, Shabib Al Khaldi and Mohammad Daham, while Aanjan Bista’s 68th-minute effort proved to be just a consolation goal for Nepal. Meanwhile, Vincenzo Alberto Annese is the current head coach of the Gorkhalis and the Italian tactician is no stranger of Indian football having previously coached ISL outfit North East United FC and I-League side Gokulam Kerala FC.
Nepal probable starting lineup: Amrinder Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Ashique Kuruniyan, Naoren Mahesh Singh
Nepal probable starting lineup: Kiran Chemjong, Sanish Shrestha, Ananta Tamang, Rohit Chand, Bimal Pandey, Arik Bista, Pujan Uperkoti, Laken Limbu, Anjan Bista, Nawayug Shrestha, Manish Dangi.
India
| Opponents | Score |
| Pakistan | 4-0 (W) |
| Lebanon | 2-0 (W) |
| Lenanon | 0-0 (D) |
| Vanuatu | 1-0 (W) |
| Mongolia | 2-0 (W) |
Nepal
| Opponents | Score |
| Kuwait | 3-1 (L) |
| Philippines | 1-0 (L) |
| Laos | 2-1 (W) |
| Bhutan | 1-1 (D) |
| Laos | 2-0 (W) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| India beat Nepal | 3-0 |
| India beat Nepal | 0-1 |
| India beat Nepal | 1-2 |
| Nepal draw India | 1-1 |
| India beat Nepal | 2-0 |
The SAFF championship fixture between India and Nepal will take place at Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday at 7:30 pm IST.
| India vs Nepal | Key Details |
| Date | June 24 |
| Venue | Sree Kanteerava Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 7:30 pm |
| Kickoff time in Nepal | 7:45 pm |
Football fans in India can live stream the match through FanCode.
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