Nepali will take on Afghanistan in the opener at the Dasharath Stadium on Thursday, Sri Lanka on Saturday and North Korea, the Asian powerhouse of football, on Monday.[break]
The top two teams from the group will qualify for the final stage to be held later.
Going by past results and home advantage, Nepal are likely to progress through to the next round. Wins in two matches will seal Nepal´s berth in the next stage.
Past records
Nepal Vs Afghanistan
Though Nepal and Afghanistan have not played many games in the past, Nepal have always had the upper hand against the Afghans. So far Nepal have played three matches with Afghanistan -- two official and one unofficial. Nepal registered convincing victories in both the official matches. In their first encounter during the 13th Asian Cup in 2003, Nepal defeated Afghanistan 4-0 on their home ground. Similarly, during the 2009 SAFF Championship in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Nepal were victorious 3-0.
Nepal played a 1-1 draw with the Afghans during the Merdeka Cup in Malaysia in 2008, which was an unofficial tournament.
Afghanistan are in the 195th position in the current FIFA rankings, 23 spots behind Nepal.
Nepal Vs Sri Lanka
The first time Nepal played against Sri Lanka was during the Eighth Asian Cup qualifiers in 1984 and their last meeting was during the final stage of the AFC Challenge Cup in Hyderabad, India in 2008. But, things had changed a lot in between those two meetings.
So far Nepal have played nine international matches against the Lankans. In their first six matches (1984-1997), Lankans always dominated and emerged victorious. But in their last three meetings, Nepal have won twice and lost once in tie-breaker.
During their first encounter in the 1984 Asian Cup qualifiers Nepal were defeated 4-0 by the Lankans, but in the last encounter during the AFC Challenge Cup, Nepal registered a convincing 3-0 win over their island counterparts. In their second last meeting, Nepal were beaten 3-4 in tie-breaker after a 1-1 draw in regular time during the First AFC Challenge Cup. In their seventh encounter, Nepal defeated Sri Lanka 3-2 during the Second SAFF Championship in 1999 in Goa, India.
Nepal are in the 172nd spot in the recent FIFA rankings, one place above Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka arrived in Kathmandu on Monday.
Nepal Vs North Korea
Nepal have played twice against North Korea, currently ranked 113 in the FIFA rankings, and lost on both occasions. The first time they met was during the Ninth Asian Cup qualifiers in Kathmandu in 1988. Nepal then faced North Korea during the AFC Challenge Cup final round in Hyderabad, India in 2008. Nepal lost both the matches 1-0.
North Korea are the defending champions of the tournament.
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