India gear up for must win match against Nepal in SAFF Championship

Male: India must deploy all their resources in front and back to show that they are a really capable side to win the ongoing SAFF championship in a play against Nepal on Sunday, especially after they were held by Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in two previous
games in Maldives.

“Nothing much has changed,” India coach Igor Stimac said in the pre-match media conference. “We are here, and we are still alive in the Championship. We are still here to win the tournament,” he added. India failed to hold the lead of a 27th minute goal from captain
Sunil Chettri in their opening play against Bangladesh, who scored level in the second half in the 1-1 draw and India drew 0-0 against Sri Lanka despite having dominance throughout the game.

Interestingly, the two teams ( India and Nepal) had played two back-to-back friendlies in Kathmandu in the first week of September where India had won the second match 2-1, after having drawn the first. “We know them very well and have played twice against them. It’s an
open game and if we play well, and do it right on the pitch, I am sure that we can win the game. There is no other option for us than to go out there and win it,” Stimac stated.

Nepal are leading the points table at the moment on 6 points having won both their matches against Maldives and Sri Lanka. “They may have a different approach. They may calculate while playing against us. But we are not worried about them. We will go out to do our job from the first minute itself,” the coach added.

The Blue Tigers had their practice session in the morning earlier today (October 9), and the news from the camp is that there are no injury concerns with all 23 players available for selection. Midfielder Brandon Fernandes insisted that the team has “everything to
play for.”

Speaking at the official pre-match press conference, Brandon quipped:“We have had two disappointing results so far. Understandably, the mood was dull in the camp. But tomorrow we have everything to fight for. We are positive, and have prepared well for this game. Everyone
is focussed in winning the match.”

Stimac echoed the same sentiment mentioning about the lack ofdiscipline on the pitch. “We haven’t been disciplined enough on the pitch. For all those simple mistakes, we are currently on two points whereas we should have been on 6 points now,” he opined. “We know it
will not be easy against Nepal. But we could win against them in Kathmandu, we can do it here too. But I reiterate that for that to happen we need to be committed and disciplined.”

Brandon, however, dismissed apprehensions that the Blue Tigers are thinking a bit too much about their opponents. “We are not thinking much about Nepal. Rather, we have been concentrating on what we need to do once it kicks off. Nepal are a good team and are in a good position at the moment. But each and every player is prepared – right from the 11 on the pitch to the bench -- everyone is ready to make animpact as and when called for.”

Brandon also lauded the coach for “giving us the confidence.”“Every football match has its own pressure. But the coach has beengiving us confidence and backing us. Tomorrow is a day when we need to show it on the pitch,” he uttered.

Looking for improvement, Indian Women's Team prepares for Bahrain encounter
Bahrain: Having moved to Bahrain for their next two friendlies, the Indian Women's Team is looking to better theirunderstanding of each other's roles.

The team travelled from UAE to Bahrain on October 7, after playing two friendlies against the UAE (4-1) and Tunisia (0-1) in the Emirati nation.Head coach, Thomas Dennerby feels that the friendlies that the team is playing are helping the side gain a better understanding of what to do in different situations.

"These friendlies have been very helpful for the girls to understand the individual tasks and roles, and it also showed them how to cooperate together, both in attack and in defence," Dennerby said on the eve of the match.India had previously won one and lost another game in UAE, something that Dennerby himself is wary of.

"We need to be 100 percent focused every single minute of every game. We must stop conceding easy goals and definitely score when we have open chances," he continued.
"But we have a good feeling amongst ourselves. We had a very good interactive meeting after the Tunisia game, and everyone learned a lot," informed Dennerby. "I think all the players are now aware that a better team can lose if they do not focus on the scoring situations."
Captain Ashalata Devi believes that the team is gaining a lot in terms of getting telemetry of where the side stands as they prepare for the AFC Women's Asian Cup.

"These friendlies have been very helpful to us. We have won one game, and lost another, but the learnings taken from them are immense. The fact that we are getting to play against tough international sides, will give us a good reading of where we stand at the moment," she said.
"We have Bahrain up next, and our aim, like always, is to win the match. The girls are all motivated and ready to give 100 per cent against Bahrain."
Schedules
October 10: Bahrain vs India- 8:30 pm IST
October 13: India vs Chinese Taipei – 8:30 pm IST
UNI