CONTENDERS RUNDOWN

BANGLADESH

Appearances: 10

Best Finish: One-time

champions

FIFA Ranking: 194

Coach Jamie Day had previously stated his intentions for the regional extravaganza as well as their preparations in the lead up and so his response was more or less a reflection of what was said before.

“We trained in Qatar and South Korea and also had a few practice matches ahead of the Asian Games, where we performed well while the FIFA friendly against Sri Lanka helped sharpen the players for tomorrow's game [against Bhutan],” the Englishman said.

When asked about his expectations for the SAFF championship Day replied, “Our performance in the Asian Games raised expectations but our sole aim at the moment is to cross the group stages and to perform well.”

However, Day did stress on the fact that despite the inflated expectations and added pressure, he himself would be pleased if only Bangladesh play their best, regardless of the result.

INDIA

Appearances: 11

Best Finish: Seven-time

champions

FIFA Ranking: 96

India arrived in Dhaka following a preparatory Camp that began on July 28 in Delhi, followed by a 17-day camp in Sydney, where they played three friendly fixtures against APIA Leichhardt Tigers FC, Sydney FC and Rydalmere Lions FC respectively according to the official website of All Indian Football Federation.

Asked how the camp helped the boys prepare, coach Stephen Constantine stated: "The three games in Australia were terrific practice. The game against Sydney FC has been a great lesson for us. We got a few positive feedbacks from Australia and those are going to be pretty helpful."

Although India have entered the SAFF championship with the squad they prepared for the Asian Games, an under-23 affair which they missed this year, the current squad will still be considered as a national team.

Instead of attending the press conference India opted to go for a practice session at the Sheikh Jamal field.

SRI LANKA

Appearances: 11

Best Finish: One-time

champions

FIFA Ranking: 200

After winning the practice match against Bangladesh in Nilphamari, coach Packeer Ali said he feels that they are now well prepared and that their practice matches against Lithuania, Japan and South Korea have paid dividends.

“We had a match with Lithuania [a goalless draw] and two weeks of training in Japan and South Korea as well as more practice games there. So I feel good about my team,” Ali told the reporters in Bangla while adding that winning the match against Bangladesh provided great motivation.

Captain Shubash Madusha had a similar outlook to the tournament and also spoke of the makeup of the team.

“Our team is well prepared, the practice match [against Bangladesh] provides a boost as host teams are always favourites. We have a good blend of senior and junior players on our team. We will try hard to play well and win it,” said Madusha.

NEPAL

Appearances: 11

Best Finish: Third place

FIFA Ranking: 161

Coach Bal Gopal expressed the utmost faith in his squad, labelling them 'tactically sound' while also stating that the team now is very different from the Asian Games squad. However, he too only hopes for his team to play well on the back of their preparations.

“We prepared for three months as we played practice games in Bangkok and participated in the Asian Games and so I'm completely happy with my squad,” Gopal said.

Captain Biraj Marjun echoed his coach's sentiments while adding that the team now have a good mix of old and young players.

It was then pointed out by a reporter that though Nepal have won a number of accolades in the recent past, they have never won a SAFF championship. To which the coach replied: “With our new FA, coaches and such, we hope to at least see the final round.

BHUTAN

Appearances: 7

Best Finish: Semifinal

FIFA Ranking: 183

Bhutan boss Trevor Morgan cut a frustrated figure at the press conference. However, this is not because of any issues with his team but rather for solely being made to wait for two hours for the press meet.

“The rest of the team are well prepared and rested but the captain over here had to wait with me for about two hours and so, his preparation for tomorrow is going to be quite poor,” Morgan said. “We played three games in Bangkok, which we lost, so there is a lot to improve on and this SAFF Championship is the perfect platform to do that.

He was then asked about his 'realistic expectations' from the tournament.

“Realistic target? Four points to qualify for the semifinals. However, if we lose the first game then it will be tough to progress from there. Therefore, tomorrow is a big game for both teams,” Morgan concluded.

MALDIVES

Appearances: 9

Best Finish: One-time

champions

FIFA Ranking: 150

Petar Segrt, the main man in the dugout for the island nation, seemed to be brimming with confidence for his young squad -- the average age is 23.7 -- and said that though they could not participate in a friendly against Pakistan, the team are ready to play well and have been in fine form as of late.

“Only twelve hours before the scheduled time for the match against Pakistan we learned that they would not be able to. However, we have been scoring a lot of goals recently,” said Sagan.

“We do have a couple of injuries to overcome but the fact that my captain won the Cup before surely comes as a boost,” he continued.

When asked about the baffling exclusion of Ali Ashfaq, Sagan explained that his age was a factor while the player himself missed the deadline for selection and hence missed the final cut.

PAKISTAN

Appearances: 10

Best Finish: Third place

FIFA Ranking: 201

Coach José Antonio Nogueira reiterated the fact that their senior team have been without any international games for the last four years before going on to elaborate on what measures they have taken to close the gap.

“Four years without a game for the senior side and now their first fixture is tomorrow [today] and so, we have prepared for the last couple of weeks with 56 footballers and now the team is recovering,” he said.

The former Al-Ahli coach listed India and Sri Lanka as the other title contenders aside from Bangladesh.

When the question arose of how they plan on tackling Nepal today following their 2-1 defeat in the Asian Games, Nogueira explained that the two are different matters entirely.

“The Asian Games squad were all under-23 but this team has a mix of senior players as well, making the entire matter a different one,” Nogueira told the media.