Nayabasti Youth Club currently sit at the bottom of the Martyr’s Memorial B Division League points table with five points. In the 12 games they have played so far, they have managed to win only one and draw two. After they suffered a 0-5 drubbing at the hands of champions Planning Boyz United on Friday, Nayabasti’s relegation to the C Division League was confirmed, before their final league game against Madhyapur Youth Association.

Meanwhile, Madhyapur are themselves struggling to avoid relegation. They will face Bansbari Club on Sunday in the 12th round before the fixture against Nayabasti. Sitting at the 12th position in the table, Madhyapur need at least one win from the last two games to stay in the second-tier.

If they fail to do so, Tushal Youth Club, who are in the second-to-last position, could bring themselves away from the last two relegation spots with a win over Jhapa FC on Sunday. Tushal have 11 points from 11 games with two wins and five draws.

B Division returns to Dasharath Stadium on Sunday with Jhapa vs Tushal while Madhyapur will play Bansbari at the Lalitpur-based ANFA Complex Ground. The Saraswoti Youth Club vs Shree Kumari Club fixture on Monday is the only other game of the 12th round to be played at the home of Nepali football.

Saraswoti, who were once at the bottom, are currently seventh in the table. They have found their rhythm after their main striker Dhirendra Bahadur Shah returned from the suspension by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA).

ANFA had suspended Shah after a complaint regarding his agreement with another club while one of the club’s wins was transferred to the losing side, costing them three crucial points.

However, the suspension was later revoked and the three points restored after Saraswoti applied for a review and submitted evidence regarding Shah’s innocence. Shah missed seven games during the suspension, a decision that proved costly for Saraswoti.

Saraswoti can climb up to the fourth position if they defeat Kumari on Monday; Kumari are in the 10th position with 13 points from four wins and a draw in 11 games. The same can be achieved by Bansbari Club if they defeat Madhyapur on Sunday. Bansbari have 15 points and are eighth in the table.

Ninth-placed Annapurna RCT and fourth-placed Birgunj United, with no hopes for promotion, will also be looking for a win to better their ranking when they meet on Wednesday.

RCT (14 points), Kumari, Brigade Boys Club (12 points) and Madhyapur will have to be extra careful in the remaining two games to mitigate the chances of being relegated. Tushal could climb over them with a win in their final game if the four teams fail to win or draw in their respective fixtures.

Nonetheless, the end of the 12th round marked by Shree Bhagawati Club vs Boys’ Union Club on Wednesday will be the most important one. The duo are second and third in the table with 23 and 19 points, respectively.

Bhagawati will ensure their promotion to the A Division with a win or a draw against Boys’ Union. However, Boys’ Union, led by Nepal’s first top-tier woman coach Chandra Bhandari, can prevent Bhagawati from sealing the only remaining spot to A Division if they defeat them; a tie would not take the mathematics in favour of Boys’ Union.

Even if Boys’ Union defeat Bhagawati in the 12th round, the latter can still realise their A Division dream by winning their last league game, against Saraswoti, in the 13th round. Thus, for Boys’ Union to reach the top tier, they will have to win both of their upcoming fixtures while Bhagawati should lose theirs. Bhagawati are yet to lose a single game this season.