A do-or-die affair for Bangladesh

This is the first time in the history of the Saff Championship that the Asian regional tournament is being held in a round-robin format and what a wild race it's been. The race for the final of the Saff Championship 2021 is absolutely wide open prior to the final matchday. Four out of the five teams - Maldives, Nepal, India and Bangladesh - have an equal chance to book their place in the final.

Bangladesh last played in a Saff final in 2005 which they lost 0-2 to India. They won their only Saff Championship even two years before that. Bangladesh's performance in the last four tournaments was plain disappointing. They were eliminated from the group stage each time. 

This time, however,  the men in Red and Green showing some glimpse of hope. After 16 long years, Bangladesh may get another opportunity to play yet another Saff final. But they have a mountain to climb to reach their deserved destination. 

Bangladesh are currently fourth on the table with r points from 3 matches. They started their campaign with a win over Sri Lanka and a draw against much higher-ranked India, but failed to continue their merry way and lost to the host Maldives. 

The last league match against Nepal is a 'do or die' for Bangladesh. Jamal Bhuyan and co. must win the match to reach the final and cannot depend on other results to go their way. A draw or a loss instead will see the exit of Oscar Bruzon's men from the 13th edition of the Saff Championship.

Meanwhile, Nepal only need to bag a point from the game to secure their place in the final. They are currently in the second position on the table with two wins and a defeat from their first three games.

Bangladesh showed a new system to their game in the ongoing Saff Championship. New coach Óscar Bruzón emphasized the importance of playing aggressively in the tournament and it is expected that the team will continue to do so in their 'must-win' encounter. 

189th ranked Bangladesh have so far played 22 matches against the 168th ranked Nepal and won 13 of them.  

However, in the last match, Bangladesh lost 1-2 to Nepal. The men in Red and Green are raring to take their revenge and cement their place in the final. Winger Rakib Hossain could not play against the host Maldives because of two yellow cards. Bangladesh struggled a lot against the Maldives without him. Rakib is now back for the Nepal clash and wants to win the match at any cost. 

"We are ready, everyone will try their best against Nepal," he said. "I want to win the match by giving my all. We want to play the final at any cost."

Defender Tariq Kazi said they are aware of the pressure before the match but they are all ready and want to give a good fight.

"We are all mentally and physically refreshed after two days of rest (after the Maldives game). There will be pressure, but everyone is looking for inspiration from that pressure. We are very confident of winning the match," Tariq said. 

Bangladesh haven't scored many goals in the tournament so far. Both the goals came from defenders so there will be added pressure on the forwards going into the match. But Rakib said they are ready and will follow Oscar Bruzon's instructions to do better in the upcoming game.

There are no injuries in the Bangladesh camp. All the players are now physically fit but Bangladesh may miss the service of defender Yeasin Arafat who is on two yellow cards. 

The match against Nepal is going to be a tough one, there is no question about it. But it is not impossible. Ashraful Islam Rana echoed with everyone supporting Jamal and co when he said he believes that the team have a very good chance and they will show that on the field. 

"We still have a chance to reach the final if we are able to beat Nepal. We'll try to give our best and the players are very much motivated. I hope the expatriates Bangladeshis will inspire us so that we can reach the final by beating Nepal."

Bangladesh were eliminated from the group stage after losing to Nepal in the Saff Championship held in Dhaka in 2018. It is Nepal again in the 'unwritten semifinal'. It remains to be seen whether Jamal and co. can get a ticket to the final today by painting the country of islands Red and Green.