Nepal entered the last four as the winner of Group B with the win over the Lankans and a goalless draw against Bangladesh. India finished runner-up of Group A beating Maldives 5-0 after going down 1-0 against Pakistan in the opener.[break]
The match between Nepal and India can be expected to be competitive as both the teams are vying to lift the trophy of the first edition.
Nepal has played only once against India in the age group in the past. The match, which was played six years ago, had ended in a 1-1 draw.
"As we are aiming to lift the trophy and erase the bitter memory of the last edition of the AFC U-16 Qualifiers, we will surely be playing against India for victory," Nepal´s coach Sunil Kumar Shrestha told Republica.
India coach Thomas Joseph, following his side´s entry into the semifinals, had said, "It does not matter who will be against us in the semifinal -- Nepal or Pakistan, we´ll play to win."
Nepal will have the advantage of home ground and home crowd while the well-built Indian team will have the physical advantage over the home team.
Both the teams will miss a first choice player. India will miss its midfielder K Lalramzauva as he picked up two yellow cards against the Maldives, while Nepal will miss its in-form striker Rungri Hang Rai. Rai received a yellow card each in the group stage matches against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
As on previous occasions, Nepal will come up with an attacking strategy in 3-5-2 formation. "We will play attacking football and either Anil Gurung or Suraj Hamal will play in Rai´s position. There will be no other changes in the team," Shrestha said.
Coach Shrestha was confident regarding his defense line-up. He said, "We have a strong defense line-up and midfield is good, but the forwards have not been able to play up to their potential."
Shrestha, who has also carefully observed the Indian team, opined that India also has problems in its forward line-up. He, however, accepted that Indian players will be physically stronger than Nepali players.
In the first semifinal match of the day, Group A winner Pakistan will face Group B runner-up Bangladesh at the same venue.
Ticket price hiked
The All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) has raised the ticket price for the semifinal and final matches of the SAFF U-16 Championship Football Tournament underway at the Dasharath Stadium.
Nepal is taking on India on Monday.
The new ticket price is Rs 500 and Rs 200 for VIP and ordinary parapet respectively.
The ticket price during the group stage was Rs 300 and Rs 100 respectively. After a low turnout of spectators on the first day of the event, ANFA had announced 50 percent discount for students.
The first semifinal match between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played at 13:00 NST while the second match between Nepal and India will kick off at 15:30 NST.
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