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It’s the big one. The SAFF Cup Final will be played between defending champions Maldives and regional giants India at the Bangabandhu Stadium on Sunday, in a rematch between the two teams from the last edition of the tournament.

In many ways, it will be an opportunity for revenge for the Indian side, which comprising of only U-23 players, is a shadow of the squad that went to the event last time around.

Looking beyond the players, there’s no love lost between both sets of supporters. Following Maldives’ win in the previous final, there were several duals and arguments, not always friendly, between both sets of fans on Goal.com, something that has carried on till this day.

And the fans of the team that wins this tie will retain/regain bragging rights till the next edition, to provide an edge to a contest that is gradually turning into a spiky rivalry in the region.

Peaking At The Right Time?

There was a lot of debate over whether India did the right thing by sending an U-23 side to Bangladesh, but the lot who disagreed with the decision were made to eat their words, somewhat, after the side’s semi final performance against Bangladesh.

After a highly unconvincing group phase, the team finally looked up to the mark against the hosts, silencing thousands at the Bangabandhu Stadium.

It’s amazing to see how so many new names have stepped up to the plate during the tournament, which wouldn’t have happened had the senior team travelled to Dhaka. Arindam Bhattacharya has put his poor start to the I-League aside, and come up with some inspiring performances.

The central defensive pairing of Ravanan and Rowilson has adopted a no-nonsense approach, and has fought valiantly to hold on to shaky one-nil leads.

The fullbacks, Robert in particular, have been highly influential, and both wingers, Jibon Singh and Joaquim Abranches, have combined extremely well with them. The midfield did superbly as a unit against Bangladesh, with Jewel Raja making a significant improvement over his performance against Maldives in the previous game, whereas Baldeep was a giant in the middle of the park.

Which leaves us to the forwards. Sushil Kumar too put in his best display in the tournament in the semis, with some classy play and a crucial goal in the second half. However, one cannot undermine the contribution of Jeje Lalpekhlua. Just 18, Jeje looked like a veteran while leading the line, winning several long passes, holding the ball under pressure, and inducing so many free kicks that we stopped keeping count.

The one prime concern, though, must be that they haven’t scored more than one goal in any of their games so far, which might not be enough against Maldives, who are scoring for fun at the moment.

It’ll be a big day for all these young players, and the first for many of them, so how they deal with the occasion will go a long way in deciding this final, but the side does look like it is peaking at the right time, and with Balwant Singh back to give Sukhwinder another option up front, India look strong enough to challenge Maldives for the title.

The Underdogs Turn Favourites…

It was a historic win for the Maldives in 2007, as it was the triumph of the underdog over the perennial favourites, India. The 1,192 islets of Maldives consist of only about 309,000 people (According to Wiki), compared to 1.2 Billion Indian citizens, so the victory was about much more than just the 1-0 scoreline. India were tipped to win, and not many gave the island nation a chance.

However, this time, it’s the Maldives who are the bookies’ favourites. And frankly, they’ve dealt with the pressure of the tag that comes with it admirably. A draw against Nepal in their opening fixture aside, they’ve cruised through their other games, beating Afghanistan and India comfortably, while crushing the erstwhile impressive Sri Lankans 5-1.

Their strength quite clearly lies in attack, with three of the top five scorers in the tournament being Ali Ashfaq, Ahmed Thoriq, and Fazeel Ibrahim. All three have been on fire, and pose a genuine threat to the opposition defence even on the worst of days.

Having said that, their defence is yet to be tested. They conceded one goal each against the Afghans, Nepal and Lanka, while India were too poor on the day to cause them any trouble at the back.

But even then, in the second half against India, at times they did look shaky when Sukhwinder Singh’s men got their act together in the final third. The other danger for the champions, although less likely, will be complacency.

The Indian side they’ll face in the final will be vastly different from the one they played in the group stage, and will produce a sterner test for them. Maldives must not make the fatal mistake of underestimating India, if they are to retain their crown.

Form Guide

India U-23

Jagpreet Singh is likely to miss out on the final, and Manish Maithani isn’t 100% fit either, but Jewel Raja and Baldeep Singh looked the part in the semi final against Bangladesh.

The good news is that Balwant Singh returns from suspension to give Sukhwinder Singh just the kind of headache he would want.

Maldives

There’s only one concern for Maldives, but it’s a big one, as midfielder Fazeel Ibrahim, who scored a brace in the semi final, damaged a fibre tissue in the hamstring, and has a 50-50 chance to play in the game according to the team physio.

Player To Watch

India U-23 – Jeje Lalpekhlua

The youngster was instrumental in India’s win over Bangladesh, and can only gain more confidence from that game. He holds up play superbly, and forms an interesting pair with Sushil Kumar.

With the Maldivians being strong physically, India need someone like Jeje to win the aerial battle. Let’s just hope that the young man is rewarded for his display with a start, and not a place on the bench.

Maldives – Ahmed Thoriq

While opposition defences concentrate only on Ali Ashfaq, midfielder Ahmed Thoriq has quietly gone about his business and scored four goals in the tournament, becoming the Maldives’ top scorer. Ashfaq often comes back and plays slightly deeper, allowing the likes of Thoriq to march forward and score, just as he did against India the last time out.

Prediction

It’s the toughest match of the tournament to predict, even harder than the two teams’ previous encounter, when Maldives looked much stronger.

The fact that the Indians will be playing their best eleven, combined with how they look to be hitting their peak at the business end of the event, makes this a much more even contest. This might just go beyond the ninety minutes, and then, it’s anyone’s game. source..

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