U-17 Soccer Championship: SL takes on Maldives today

Sri Lanka will take on Maldives in a cliff hanger encounter at the Race Course stadium today under lights which will turn out to be a do-or-die battle for both teams if they are to qualify for the semi-finals next week in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Under-17 Soccer Championship.

Both teams conceded five goals against the top ranked Bangladesh will now have to pull out something exceptional to win and qualify for the next stage of this tournament. Sri Lanka playing under home advantage has a slight edge over their rivals. If they can at least force a draw which will be sufficient for them to qualify for the next stage of the tournament. 

But they will be in full swing post their maiden win of the tournament which will not only assure them a berth in semis but also act as a morale booster for the rest of the tournament. As per the team sources, the players are injury free and likely to pull  their socks up and deliver the best for their country. They too are likely to make few changes to their starting eleven while infusing a different game plan from what they adopted in their curtain raiser.

On the other hand, Maldives cannot be under rated team. They are capable of turning tables while they are imbibed with some quality players cable of delivering the goods. By and large, it’s going to be a nerve tingling encounter.

Meanwhile, at 3.15 p.m., India will confront Nepal which is a dress rehearsal before the knock stage. Regardless of the result both teams have already qualified for the semis after defeating Bhutan 3-0 and 2-1 respectively, which ousted Bhutan from the fray. Team India are hot favourites and tipped to win this game to maintain their unbeaten record. 

Nepal too showed some fighting spirits to overcome Bhutan in their tournament opener but this game is going to be a huge task for them to notch up a win.