Kathmandu: Nepal’s head coach Abdullah Almutairi said that they are going to face a difficult test against Sri Lanka but hope to walk away with three points in a SAFF Championship clash on Monday.
After winning their first match against the Maldives by 1-0, courtesy of Manish Dangi’s goal, Nepal faces Sri Lanka in the second match. Sri Lanka had lost to Bangladesh by 1-0 in their opening match.
Abdullah said Sri Lanka was going to be difficult for Nepal. “It is not going to be easy. I hope we can collect the points,” he said.
He said Sri Lanka had all the potential to surprise Nepal having lost their first match. “Sri Lanka is a good and strong team. They played well against Bangladesh even after their player was sent off. We hope to take advantage of their aggressive tackling in the game,” he said.
Abdullah also was thankful towards Sri Lankan coach who praised Nepal’s playing style. “I would thank him for his words but I will be happy only if I take all the three points,” he said.
The last time Nepal faced Sri Lanka was in 2016 in Bangabandhu Gold Cup when Bimal Gharti Magar gave Nepal a 1-0 win. The two teams have met 17 times with Nepal winning on three occasions and losing six times.
The match will kick off at National Stadium in Male at 21:45 NST.
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