Nepal on Tuesday named its lineup for the Prime Minister Three Nations Cup Football Tournament, only a day ahead of the tournament. The squad contains six fresh faces.
Midfielder Sujal Shrestha, also the former caretaker captain, and attacker Bimal Gharti Magar are among the key names missing from the Nepali side that is set to play against Bhutan and Laos at the Dasharath Stadium.
The event will be the first assignment for the Italian coach who was appointed for the hot seat on March 1 for a one-year period. Nepal only had a three-day training prior to the competition due to the ongoing Martyrs Memorial ‘A’ Division League that was played until Saturday and will resume on April 3.
The competition will be conducted in a single round robin format and the top two teams will meet in the final. Hosts Nepal will play against Laos in the inaugural match on Wednesday, while Bhutan and Laos will meet in the second match on Saturday.
Nepal versus Bhutan match will take place on March 28 and the final is slated for March 31. The final will kick off at 17:30 hours and other games will begin at 18:00 hours.
Nepal and Bhutan have played 12 times in the past and Nepal has won all matches against them, scoring 38 and allowing five goals. Nepal and Laos have played twice against each other in 2016. In the first match played as an international friendly in Vientiane, the capital city of Laos in May 2016, the game finished in 1-1 tie. In the other match contested at AFC Solidarity Cup in Kuching, Malaysia, Nepal edged past them 3-0 on penalties following a 2-2 draw.
squad Nepal are minus the 12 players who were the members of the national squad in the last two matches that played international friendlies against Bangladesh and Pakistan in September and November last year. While seven among them have left for Australia searching for a better future, five have been left out.
According to Annese, the Nepal team coach, he is focused more on the fitness of the players rather than their names. Forward Anjan Bista, rested on Friday in the Church Boys United (CBU) match against Sankata Club in the ‘A’ Division domestic league owing to injury, was named in the squad.
“We selected players who were fit and could finish the 90 minutes of play,” stated Annese. “Though Anjan did not play last match for CBU, he is totally fit and trained each day with us.”
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