As coach Birat Krishna Shrestha has already admitted that it would be difficult for them to secure a place in the final round after a 2-0 defeat in the opening match, Police must win or at least salvage a draw to keep its hopes alive.[break]
Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) of Pakistan defeated Police in the opener on Wednesday.
A second defeat is most likely to leave Police out of the race.
Police must produce a better result to stay in contention as all the other three teams in the group have already collected points in the first round matches. Balkan played a draw with Taiwan Power Company of Chinese Taipei.
“We must win both matches,” Shrestha said while also rating Balkan higher than WAPDA. Turkmenistan is known for playing European style football.
“The match against Balkan will be more difficult than that against WAPDA. The opponents are faster, fit and more skillful,” Shrestha said.
He, however, attributed the defeat in the opener to injuries of half-a-dozen players. Shrestha is likely to field Tikaram Karki in place of defender Suraj BK. Police is likely to come up with 4-4-2 formation.
Turkmenistan was classified as a second tier footballing nation by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) until last year, but was put one tier below earlier this season.
The AFC President´s Cup features league champions of third tier footballing nations as classified by the AFC.
Balkan will also be playing for a win. In the pre-tournament press conference, coach Alexander Klimenko said that their main target is to qualify for the final stage winning all three matches.
His side played a 1-1 draw in the first match at Halchowk Ground and is likely to come out aggressive. The team is said to include six national players.
Police Line-up (probable): Goalkeeper: Ritesh Thapa, Defenders: Rakesh Shrestha, Suman Subedi, Rabin Shrestha, Tikaram Karki, Midfielders: Bhola Silwal, Ramesh Katuwal, Parbat Pandey, Yogesh Shrestha, Forwards: Jumanu Rai, Bharat Khawas
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