SAFF Cup 2011 : Group B Preview - A Battle That Can Go Down the Wire

SAFF Cup kicks off with Group B matches. This group contains Nepal and Bangladesh, two of the highest ranked teams in the region.Ai??Former champions Maldives has always been a consistent performer in the SAFF Cup.

Nepal

FIFA ranking: 143

Past performances in SAFF championship: Participated- 8

Best performance: 3rd Place – 1993

ANFA president Ganesh Thapa has announced Rs. 10,000/month lifetime for players if they wins the SAFF championships. Recently Dabur has been signed as the official sponsor for Nepal and money is coming into the team which indicates that they are expecting returns. Will this act as a morale booster for Nepali team to do the ai???mission impossibleai??i??? Coach Graham Roberts identified that 5-3-2 is the best formation which suits his players and is more likely to stick with it for the SAFF championships.

Defender Rohit Chand is one of the players to watch out for in the current Nepali line-up while Coach Roberts puts his money on Bharath Khawas. Nepal preparations went for a toss when they lost against Philippines at Manila, while they are thought to have got the momentum back with the preparations afterwards and it includes a motivational session for the national team to fight tooth and neck against the opponents. And added incentive will be the opportunity to climb up in FIFA rankings. If Nepal win all their group matches then they will break into top-120.

Players to Watch out for: Rohit Chand, Bharath Khawas

Maldives

FIFA ranking: 166

Past performances: 6 Winner- 1 Runners – 3

Best performance: Winners- 2008

Maldives have never finished outside top-4 in this tournament, this time they will be aiming to repeat the heroics of 2008. Maldivian President believes that ai???a sport is an important instrument in aiding to boost national prideai??i?? so they will be fighting for national pride and to enhance national spirits. ai???Red Snappersai??i?? preparations have ended on a positive note with double win against Seychelles. Hungariyan Istvan Urbanyi will be counting on Captain and star striker Ali Ashfaq to find the target for a successful second stint.

Ali Ashfaq wikipedia — Ali Ashfaq – Sharpshooter

Ibrahim Fazeel is another potent weapon in the Red Snappers armory and personal milestone of all-time top goal scorer in SAFF championships is within his range. Maldives rankingai??i??s has gone down recently and they will consider this as a golden chance to regain the lost balance. They will be hoping for a perfect start with a victory against Nepal on 2nd December after their month-long preparations.

Players to Watch out for: Ali Ashfaq, Imran Mohammad

Bangladesh

FIFA ranking: 142

Past performances: Participated- 7 Winner- 1 Runners – 2

Best performance: Winners 2003

Nikola Ilievskiai??i??s team is the top ranked nation in the tournament and an average performance will have huge effects in their international perspective. Bangladesh has got the upper hand against fellow rivals Pakistan as they ousted them in World Cup qualifiers in 2011. Ilievskiai??i??s tactics and formation depends on the opponents and he usually changes his side to make the best use of the rivalai??i??s weaknesses. The changes in tactics every now and then can bring success as well as confusion. Is it going to reap rewards or are they going to bite dust?

Bangla coach has taken another bold step by including 3 U-19 players in the squad who are yet to win an international cap. Captain Mohd. Sujan is going to be the inspiration for the Bangla tigers in the upcoming tourney. Zahid Hossien and Jahid Hasan Emily will share the burden of taking this team to further height after their semifinal disappointment in last edition. Bangladesh suffered a reverse when a delay in issuing visas paved way for late travel and they had to cancel their practise matches against Indian clubs ai???Pailan Arrowsai??i?? and ai???Southern Sanityai??i??.

Players to Watch out for: Mohd. Sujan, Zahid Hossien, Jahid Hasan Emily

Pakistan

FIFA ranking: 174

Past performances: Participated- 8

Best performance: 3rd Place ai??i?? 1997

Pakistan will find themselves in a spot of bother against the higher ranked nations, but their physicality and dominant figures can make a difference as well. Pakistan team is visiting India after a long break in any form, playing in-front of arch rivals crowd is always a tedious task (even though they are not in the same group) and they will be trying to win the Indian hearts to establish a new chapter in Indo-Pak relationships. On the other hand they will be waiting for a revenge on Bangladesh as it provides an ideal platform to return the favours.

Coach Milosavljevic took no time to call the UK-based Pakistani players Atif Bashir and Adnan Ahmed into the squad and their experience can give them a cutting edge. They will have the huge responsibility of organizing the team and sticking to the game plan as the youngsters might get overawed in an unfamiliar situation. Opening match against Bangladesh will be the first game in charge for the Serbian coach and Pakistani supporters are waiting to see their team in action under new umbrella.

Players to Watch out for: Atif Bashir, Adnan Ahmed

Fixture List: Venue – JN Stadium, New Delhi. All timings in IST.