Pakistan head coach Nolberto Solano has set qualification for the SAFF Championship semi-finals as his immediate target ahead of Thursday’s Group B opener against India at the National Stadium in Dhaka.
Pakistan open the 15th edition of South Asia’s premier football tournament against their fiercest rivals, and with only two group matches to play, the result will shape their path to the last four.
Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad on Monday evening, Solano said Pakistan were approaching the competition with confidence and determination, according to Dawn and The Express Tribune.
“We go step by step. We have a big game against India on Thursday, followed by Maldives. Our focus is on these two matches and qualifying for the semi-finals. We have to think of every game as a final. The first final is against India, and the second final is against Maldives,” he said.
Solano compared the fixture with the rivalry between his home country, Peru, and Chile, saying it carried the same intensity and that he understood what such games meant to fans.
“We want to please the people because we know what it means to them. These games are special, and that itself is motivation,” he said.
The coach stressed that success would depend on collective effort rather than individual performances, saying the team had to attack and defend together.
Pakistan will initially be without their overseas-based players because the tournament falls outside the FIFA international match window, but Solano said that would not serve as an excuse.
“At the beginning of this competition, we are not allowed to bring our diaspora players because it is not being organised during the FIFA window. But we are using local boys and looking at the talent that exists here. No excuses. We believe in our boys,” he said.
Solano said building a solid defensive unit was the priority, pointing to the FIFA ASEAN Cup in Indonesia earlier this year, where Pakistan lost 4-0 to Thailand before drawing 2-2 with the Philippines.
“We try to be a solid team first. Our strategy is not to concede goals because our strongest players are all defenders,” he said, adding that one lapse in concentration could prove very expensive.
He also welcomed plans for a professional football league in Pakistan next year, describing it as an important step for players’ fitness and preparation.
India, the defending champions, have named a second-string side for the tournament, according to The Express Tribune, with their senior team travelling to New Zealand for friendly matches on November 12 and 15.
Nepal are absent from this edition because of a FIFA suspension, leaving six teams in the tournament, with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka in Group A and India, Maldives and Pakistan in Group B.
The top two teams from each group will reach the semi-finals, which are scheduled for November 14, with the final set for November 17.
| Date | Match | Venue |
|---|---|---|
| November 5 | Pakistan vs India | National Stadium, Dhaka |
| November 8 | Maldives vs Pakistan | National Stadium, Dhaka |
Pakistan’s opener is confirmed for Thursday at Dhaka’s National Stadium, with the Maldives match to follow on November 8; the semi-finals are scheduled for November 14 and the final for November 17.
