There is no bigger rivalry in Associate cricket than the one between Nepal and the United Arab Emirates. The two teams, familiar opponents currently ranked 18th and 19th in the ICC ODI ranking, have competed in many high-stakes matches over the years. The two have come face-to-face in 32 instances, including 19 ODIs and 13 T20Is, so far, many of them going down to the wire. Nepal have won 11 one-days and seven T20Is.

The encounter between these two teams is dubbed the ‘Associate El Clásico’, after El Clásico, the famous rivalry between Barcelona and Real Madrid in Spanish league football.

This Saturday, the rising Associate teams are clashing in yet another high-stakes fixture—the final of the ACC Men’s Premier Cup. The winner will qualify for the 2027 Asia Cup and rub shoulders with some of the world cricket’s heavyweights—the likes of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.

Both Nepal and the UAE outperformed their opponents in the semifinal on Thursday. Nepal defeated Oman by 87 runs, bundling out the West Asian country for a paltry 60, while the UAE eclipsed Hong Kong by 7 wickets, after chasing down the measly 71-run target within 12 overs.

The battle on Saturday is therefore expected to be tough. Nepal have the chance to repeat the same feat that they achieved back in 2023—against the same opponent, on the same platform and for the same glory. The UAE have a shot at a revenge.

During their May 2023 encounter at the ACC Premier Cup final in the packed TU cricket ground, Gulshan Kumar Jha’s unbeaten 67 off 84 on the reserve day had helped Nepal chase UAE’s low target of 118 with ease and book their maiden berth at the Asia Cup.

“If we can give an extra percent in our hard work in the final, we will win it too,” Nepal skipper Sandeep Lamichhane said after the win over Oman on Thursday.

Despite what the final stats might suggest, it was not an easy win for Nepal in the semis as they were bundled out for a mere 147.

Nepal had never been successful in defending anything below 190 in ODIs. Oman were the favourites in the second innings.

But Nepali spinners rose to the occasion, displaying one of their best performances to restrict Oman to 60 runs and cruise into the finals. Lamichhane and Dipendra Singh Airee picked three wickets each, while Lalit Narayan Rajbanshi and Rohit Kumar Paudel claimed two each.

But bowling alone is unlikely to suffice for Nepal against the UAE at a time when Nepal’s batting order has been struggling throughout the tournament. If it were not for Basir Ahmad, who replaced Arjun Kumal in the semis, and the star all-rounder Airee, Nepal would have been packed for an even lower total.

While Airee smashed 51 off 76, Ahmad fell short of three runs for his fifty. It was Airee’s 10th ODI fifty.

Compared to the match against Hong Kong, where Lamichhane used six bowlers, there was only one change to the bowling lineup against Oman: Gulshan Kumar Jha was replaced by Paudel.

Meanwhile, Jha had bowled only three overs against Hong Kong, which posted a big total of 262 against Nepal. Nepal lost that match by 15 runs.

And the UAE bundled out the same Hong Kong team for 70 runs in 30.1 overs on Thursday. The UAE chased the target in 11.1 overs, with seven wickets to spare.

During the post-match presentation after the semifinal win, skipper Lamichhane said his team was banking on fan support at the Bayuemas Oval in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, one of the major destinations for migrant Nepali workers.

“We had a poor performance against Hong Kong, but the fans still turned up today,” Lamichhane said. “The players showed great character and made the fans smile with the win [over Oman].”

Lamichhane added that he expected fans to turn out in huge numbers in the final as well. “Their support will definitely play a big role,” he said.