Kathmandu, January 11:

The second leg matches of the Martyrs’ Memorial San Miguel ‘A’ Division League have started with three matches a day — two at Dasharath Stadium and one at APF Headquarters, Halchowk.

Four teams are closely following each other at the moment and the team that succeeds in holding their nerves is most likely to win the championship. Will Nabil Three Star defend its title? Will Manang Marsyangdi capture the title they have won five times earlier? Will Mahendra Police Club and Tribhuvan Army Club emerge as the new winners? These are some million-dollar questions for those following Nepali football.

Those who have given up the hopes of finishing in the top three or four spots will fight hard for a mid-table spots, which are also considered the prestigious ones.

Likewise the teams bottom of the table at present will find it difficult to save their teams from relegation. There is a tough competition for every spot.

The modern-day league is different. Unlike in the past, it is tough to predict the so-called stronger team would defeat the bottom table teams. It’s very difficult to say that which team would win on a particular day.

Before the start of the league, there was a common assumption that there will be a triangular fight for the title. Everyone was thinking that Three Star, MMC and MPC will have a tough fight, but Tribhuvan Army Club joined the three heavyweights in the title race, which has added an extra flavor in the league.

Despite winning eight matches in a row, the Armymen were not in title chase at one stage, but their comeback and other teams’ lackluster performances have given then a chance to fight for the Rs one million title.

The fight will be a tough one, as the point difference between these four teams in nominal. Although, the teams such as NRT and Sankata have declared them out of title-race, these teams are capable of pulling an upset result against any team and are fighting for the fifth spot with new entrants, Gyanendra APF Officers’ Team, who can be another threat to the top four.

At the bottom half, RCT, Jawalakhel, Friends and Brigade Boys will not allow their opponents to win easily. With almost all the clubs hiring African players in their teams, these mid-table teams might be planning for an upset victory instead.

All these depend on teamwork with individual performance of the players. A goalkeeper saves his team from conceding goals, while a defender stops the opponents to penetrate into his area and a midfielder always works hard to supply a perfect pass to the strikers, who always dream of scoring goals and become the highest scorer. And behind the curtain plays a coach, who is always worried of making his team strong.

Yamaha India Motors know all these truths, and they have announced a Yamaha G5 each for all these six individuals, which would encourage them to be the best in their positions.