India and Nepal lock horns for U-17 football supremacy

India U-17 Skipper Vanlalpeka Guite (left) with Nepal counterpart Prashant Laksham with the coveted SAFF Under-17 championship 

India and Nepal will lock horns for supremacy in the final to clinch the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-17 Soccer Championship at the Race Course Stadium in Colombo today. The kick-off is scheduled for 7.00 p.m.

The 10-day entertaining game of football involving six top teams in the region will come to an end with the best team striving hard to win this much coveted championship in the South East Asian region. 

As per the performance and playing skills, there is nothing of much difference between the two teams but the team which executes a strategic plan is likely to carry away the title.

It is team Nepal who has remained as the only undefeated team in the fray, notching up three sensational wins. They launched their campaign against Bhutan and pulled off a close 2-1 win. They followed it up with another prolific team performance to halt the current rivals winning streak with a 3-1 win in a preliminary round game which was an iconic performance. 

They also became the cynosure of all eyes with their playing pattern which amazed all their rivals. Even though there are no big names in their ranks they showed signs of tremendous improvement in both attack and defensive play. They bested the host with a stunning 6-0 win which proved dividends as to what a quality side they are. 

As per their team sources, the players morale is quite high after winning all three games and are likely to make few changes to the start-up line today from those who played the last game. 

On the other hand, team India cannot be underestimated under any circumstances. The win against Bangladesh 2-1 showed their fighting skills and character as they subsequently halted the Bengali Tigees unbeaten record in this tournament. 

By now they have done their homework to rectify the rival strength and weaknesses and make an adequate plan to overcome their rivals to clinch the title. They are likely to make few changes to their starting line-up and a close tussle is expected.