25 March 2024 11:08 am
By Susil Premalal
Sri Lanka will take on their South Asian rivals Bhutan in the inaugural 2024 four-nation FIFA Series Football Tournament second match at the Racecourse Grounds in Colombo today. The kick-off is at 8:45 p.m.
Sri Lanka are currently ranked 204th in the FIFA World Rankings, while Bhutan are placed in the 184th position.
The Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea are the other teams competing in this tournament. Earlier, Sri Lanka figured in a 0-0 draw against Papua New Guinea, while the Central African Republic secured the top spot in the points table after defeating Bhutan 6-0 in the curtain-raiser match of the tournament on Friday.
The clash between Sri Lanka and Bhutan will take centre stage, as both teams have figured in some of the most exciting games in history.
Sri Lanka will have the edge, having defeated Bhutan on five occasions from 2006 to 2024, and they have lost only twice to their South Asian rivals.
The two teams last met in 2015, and on that occasion, Bhutan defeated Sri Lanka twice, 1-0 and 2-1, respectively.
However, Sri Lanka will start as favourites to beat Bhutan after their impressive display against Papua New Guinea on Friday, where they figured in a thrilling 0-0 draw.
But the odds will be against Sri Lanka, as Bhutan have won their previous five encounters: 1-0 in 2006, 2-0 in 2008, 6-0 in 2009, 3-0 in 2011, and 5-2 in 2013.
Meanwhile, the opening match of stage two will be between the Central African Republic and Papua New Guinea at 3:30 p.m.