Vijayan gears up for Bangladesh

Kathmandu, Oct 1: India start favourites as they take on Bangladesh in the football semi-finals of the South Asian Federation Games at th...

Kathmandu, Oct 1: India start favourites as they take on Bangladesh in the football semi-finals of the South Asian Federation Games at the Dasratha Stadium tomorrow.

With striker IM Vijayan slamming in hat-trick in first two matches, India have won all their league matches without fuss. Vijayan has been in prime form and his magical touch has had a lot to do with the defending champions’ strong performance.

The fact that India have been getting early goals in all matches has also been a major factor in their comfortable wins. India warmed up with 5-2 win over Pakistan, and went on to beat Bhutan 3-0 and then outclassed Nepal 4-0 to top Group A.

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There are no injury worries on the Indian front, though defender Prabhjot Singh, who came here with a knee injury, will yet again sit out. India are expected to play in the 4-4-2 formation.

The good news for India is that defender Robert Fernandes, who sat out the match against Nepal with two yellow cards, will be back in action. With Deepak Mondal, Dhanesh andDaljit Singh having a good tournament so far, India will have few worries in defence.

The Indians are expected to field Ranjan Dey, Bruno Coutinho, Sabir Pasha and Hardeep Sangha in the mid-field with captain Jo Paul Ancheri and IM Vijayan making up the strike force. Ancheri was tried as central defender in the match against Nepal.

With Coutinho coming back — he missed out the first two games — the Indian mid-field presents a healthier picture. The only worrying factor for India is the fact that four of its players — IM Vijayan, Dhanesh, Noel Wilson and Dalbir Singh — have been penalised with yellow card.

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In contrast, Bangladesh have played way below par. They lost 1-2 to Maldives and struggled to beat Sri Lanka 1-0. They fought well against Maldives, but had a poor match against Lanka and coach Sameer Shakir is a worried man.

While strikers Alfaz Ahmed and Mizanur `Don’ Rehman not getting enough support upfront, Bangladesh looked a disjointed lot with some new faces in the side. Captain JewelRana has had a good tournament though, scoring both the goals so far.

In defence, Bangladesh will miss the presence of left-back Masud Rana and central defender Rajanikanta Barman, both forced to sit out with two yellow cards. Matiur Rehman is expected to replace Masud while Faisal will come in for Barman. Bangladesh are expected to play in 3-5-2 formation.

In the other semi-final, Nepal meet Maldives.

Bhavish Aggarwal (Photo via his Twitter page)

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