Lebanon will clash against the Maldives in its final Group B clash of the 2023 SAFF Championship at the Kanteerava Stadium here on Wednesday.
Lebanon, currently on top of its group, won both its matches against Bangladesh and Bhutan, respectively. With six points from two matches, the Cedars can confirm a berth in the semifinals if they beat the Maldives in their final group match.
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The Cedars will start against the Maldives as the clear favourites but head coach Aleksandar Ilic will remind his team not to get complacent.
In its last match against Bhutan, Lebanon was cruising with a 4-0 win. But, it took its foot off the pedal, and Bhutan scored a late consolation goal, which irked Ilic on the touchlines.
“In the first half [against Bhutan], we were aggressive. At half-time, I told the boys to stay serious, but they [Bhutan] scored a goal in the second-half,” Ilic said after the last match.
Maldives is on three points from two matches. It suffered a 3-1 loss against Bangladesh in its last match, and the Red Snappers find themselves in a tricky position heading into their final group-stage match.
They are third in the table, equal on points with second-placed Bangladesh, with the latter being on top by virtue of head-to-head.
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Maldives head coach Francesco Moreiro didn’t shy away from expressing his dissatisfaction with his team’s performance after the loss against Bangladesh.
Apologising to the people of Maldives for the loss, Moreiro stormed out of the post-match press conference and refused to take any questions.
Lebanon has a 100% win record against the Maldives, having beaten it on all four previous occasions.
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