With sights set on final, hosts Nepal and undefeated Bangladesh will vie in the semi-final of the Saff U-15 Championship at the Anfa Complex, Satdobato, on Friday.

Nepal, who had overcame Maldives 6-0 in their first game, lost 2-1 to India in the three team Group ‘B’ that saw them finish runners-up and set up the last four clash against Bangladesh. The Bangladeshis maintained their cent percent winning streak in the Group ‘A’.

They are the only teams to maintain clean sheet in the tournament after easing past Sri Lanka 6-0 and Bhutan 3-0 in the group stage matches. Nepal coach Sunil Shrestha believes his side have to give its best to prevail in what he expected to be an ‘evenly contested duel’.

“Both teams are at same level and if we succeed to play our natural game and according to our full potential, we will beat the opponents,” said Shrestha. Bangladesh coach Mostafa Anwar Parvez had said that their target was to defend the title referring to the Saff U-16 Championship that they had won two years ago, also in Nepal.

Bangladesh U-16 team had beaten India in the penalties in the final. The U-16 event is replaced by the U-15 Championship this year.

“We are ready to take on any opponent in the semi-final,” Parvez had said after emerging group winners before their semi-final opponents were fixed. “No opponents are easy to beat and Nepal are strong side,” he had said. Despite scoring nine goals in two matches, the Bangladeshi had stressed on the need of improvement in scoring and vowed to work on that for semi-final.

Nepal coach Shrestha has planned to take control of ball possession, a strategy in which his side had failed in the group stage.

“If we manage to execute our plan of building up the game by taking ball possession, the result will be ours. However, the level of both teams are even in terms of physique and technicality,” he said adding that all his players were fit and confident.

Comparatively weaker defense line-up has been one of the major setbacks for the hosts in their group matches and the presence of centre defense Roshan Dong after a match suspension will fulfill the void, said Shrestha. The coach further added that his side was wary of strong wingers of Bangladesh and will come up with strategy to stop them.

“We noticed that the Bangladeshi make moves from the wings and counter attack most of the times. We must be cautious not to let them chance from these areas,” Shrestha said.

In another semi-final, tournament favourites India will take on Bhutan at the APF grounds in Halchowk. The physically superior Indian side have defeated Maldives 9-0 and Nepal 2-1 in their group rounds while Bhutan had beaten Sri Lanka 6-0.