The Knights take on the Pak Shaheens in today’s crucial Al-Nakba Cup tie in Palestine, which kicks-off at 10:00 PM PST.
Form Guide:
Palestine:
The Palestinians have been in excellent form so far and managed to grab two wins out of two when playing against Jordan and Sri Lanka. And buoyed by their success, they will be looking to continue that winning trend and pick up yet another triumph when playing against Pakistan.
Pakistan:
The Pak Shaheens struggled against Jordan and had to thank goalkeeper Ehsan for keeping the loss to a minimum. And with Palestine boasting home support, the Green Shirts will need to adjust to the pressure and score quickly to get off to a good start.
In 2012, these two sides enjoyed a share of the spoils in a thrilling 2-2 draw with FC Dordoi Bishkek Mohammad Adil putting in a superb display.
Team News:
Palestine:
The hosts have been in excellent form since the start of the tournament and even managed to beat higher-ranked Jordan in their opening fixture. And placed against Pakistan, they are unlikely to make any major changes and should go out for yet another win.
Pakistan:
The Green Shirts have been without coach Mohammad Al-Shamlan on the sidelines, as the Bahraini was refused entry into Palestine by Israeli authorities. That has cost Pakistan dearly with the side struggling to keep possession against Jordan and conceding an early penalty in the game.
Shamlan will likely instruct goalkeeper Ehsan to keep up his mercurial performances, while midfielder Saddam Hussain and winger Adil are the only major positives going into the tie. The trio clearly stood out on the pitch but the rest of the squad including the highly-rated Mansoor Khan were outclassed by the Jordanians.
Nonetheless, Pakistan can still expect to make the final if they win today and thus are likely to all-out to cause an upset.
Pakistan’s Key Player: Mohammad Adil
The FC Dordoi Bishkek midfielder was slightly off-colour against Jordan but will be looking to get back to his sublime best and create chances for the strikers to score on.
Author Prediction:
Pakistan 1:1 Palestine
The match kicks off at 10:00 PM PST and live updates can be followed on FootballPakistan.com.