After a humiliating 6-0 defeat in the opening match against Balkan of Turkmenistan -- the biggest defeat for a Nepali team in the President´s Cup -- Three Star has very slim chances of progressing.[break]
A draw or a defeat against Erchim would send Three Star crashing out of the tournament. Even a win would not ensure Three Star´s place in the final from the three-team group. It must wait for the last match of the group to be played between Erchim and Balkan.
If Three Star beats Erchim in the second match and Erchim beats Balkan in the last group match, all three teams will have three points each and the group winner will be decided on the basis of goal difference. Even in such a situation, Three Star will have little chance of reaching the final as it has conceded six goals and scored none. Therefore, Three Star must beat Erchim by a big margin to keep its hopes alive.
Erchin and Three Star were drawn in the same group in the qualifiers held four months ago in Kathmandu. Three Star had defeated Erchim 2-0 on the occasion. Therefore, Three Star is confident of beating Erchim on Wednesday.
Following his side´s defeat on Monday, Three Star coach Pradip Humagain claimed that his team would defeat Erchim. He blamed inadequate preparation for the big defeat at the hands of Balkan.
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