A toothless Nepal face a herculean task of defeating leaders Bangladesh with a hefty goal margin to progress into the final of the SAFF Under 20 Championship at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, India, on Tuesday.

Nepal, all but out after Sunday’s 8-0 drubbing by India, must beat Bangladesh by at least a five-goal margin in the condition India beat Sri Lanka in the late fixture of Tuesday. But should India lose to the Maldives, a draw would be sufficient for Nepal to make it to the final.

Bangladesh, who edged India 2-1 and registered 1-0 win over Sri Lanka and 4-1 victory over the Maldives, occupy top spot with nine points in the five-team standings. India and Nepal are second and third with six points apiece. But India hold superiority over Nepal on the basis of head-to-head performance and goals superiority.

The Maldives and Sri Lanka have one point each and have already been eliminated from the final race as only the top two sides at the end of the league progress to the summit clash.

There, however, are practically slim chances that mighty India lose to the winless Maldives, the side languishing on second from bottom. Also the probability of Nepal defeating Bangladesh by a five-goal margin is low.

If Nepal beat leaders Bangladesh, and India beat Sri Lanka, all three teams—Bangladesh, India and Nepal—will have nine points apiece and positions in the table will be determined on the basis of points earned between the teams tied.

In such a scenario, all three sides will be deadlocked at three points each and the positions at the standings will be decided on the basis of goal differences.