Having registered a win over Maldives in the three-team group, both Nepal and Afghanistan have already secured semifinal berth. Nepal edged past Maldives 5-0 on Monday and Afghanistan overcame the same opponent 4-2 on Wednesday during their first matches of group B.The result of Tuesday's fixture to be played at the Sylhet District Stadium will not only decide the group winner but also finalize semifinal opponents. In the last match of group A played on Thursday at the same venue, host Bangladesh topped the group with six points beating India 2-1. Bangladesh finished with six points, three points ahead of India while Sri Lanka crashed out without opening account in the points table.
The winner between, Nepal and Afghanistan will take on India in the semifinal while the losing side will meet Bangladesh for a place in the final.
Meanwhile, Nepal's coach Upendra Man Singh said convincing win over Maldives in the opening match boosted the confidence of his side.
"The boys are very serious. They have zeal to win this trophy and I can see it in their eyes. They have been very sincere in their training and they have been implementing the things taught in training. I am confident that they will put up a good performance against Afghanistan on Friday," Singh was quoted as saying by All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).
Singh, however, was equally caution about Afghanistan. Commenting on the opponent, he said that Afghans are strong in attacking but 'comparatively' weak in defense.
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