Sri Lanka confront Maldives tomorrow

By Susil Premalal reporting from Bangladesh

Sri Lanka would take on the Maldives in a must win game of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup Tournament Group ‘B’ fixture at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka, Bangladesh tomorrow (7).

After having gone down to the defending champions India 0-2 in their opening encounter on the previous day, Sri Lanka need to pull off this game if they are to stay alive in the seven-nation competition.

In case Sri Lanka lose this match then they would return home on the following day.

However, Sri Lanka Coach Nizam Pakir Ali believed that his side would bounce back with an improved performance in this vital encounter.

“I think the team did not perform upto expectations against India but I am confident the players will make a strong comeback and win this fixture,” said Pakir Ali.

Maldives who won the title in 2008 are currently placed 150th in the FIFA Rankings while Sri Lanka are ranked 200th.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh edged-out Pakistan 1-0 in their Group ‘A’ encounter to book their place in the semi-finals.