The last encounter between Nepal’s Armed Police Force (APF) Club and India’s East Bengal FC, in the last league-stage fixture of the inaugural SAFF Women’s Club Championship on Wednesday, did not provide moments for the fans to cheer as it ended goalless. But it will not be the case on Saturday as the teams need goals to win the silverware.

East Bengal and APF entered the final as the top two teams in the tournament, which was played between five clubs in a single round-robin format.

“As both teams had already qualified for the final by the time we met on Wednesday, the match might have been taken a bit lightly by both, as none had anything to lose,” said Anthony Samson Andrews, head coach of East Bengal, in the pre-final press conference on Friday. “However, it will not be the case in the final. We arrived here for the trophy, and we will give our 200 percent in the tournament decider.”

APF and East Bengal, two teams that are yet to concede a goal in the tournament, had chances to score in their last match. But both failed, and conceded, in the post-match press conference on Wednesday, that they had to work on their finishing.

“In the two-day rest period, we have worked on our finishing and other areas that needed improvement,” APF’s head coach Jibesh Pandey shared in the pre-final press conference. “East Bengal are a strong team, but we will not let the trophy leave Nepal.”

APF skipper Anita Basnet also said that the team, composed almost entirely of senior national team players, wanted to win the title and fill the trophy cabinet.

“We have not been able to win an international title for the country through the national team,” Basnet said. “So we want to at least fill the void this time by winning the SAFF Club Championship as we represent not only the club, but the country itself.”

Nonetheless, it is not going to be that easy for the home side, who have lacked the expected fan support in their last four matches. But the players and coaching staff of the APF have appealed to fans to pack the 15,000-capacity Dasharath Stadium in the final match.

“We expect at least 10,000+ fans,” said Pandey. “Fans are our backbone, and we want their support in the final.”

East Bengal also boast of their fan support. And despite being hundreds of miles away, there have been some loud cheers for them at Dasharath Stadium in their last four matches.

“We play for the fans,” Andrews said. “There have been some fans coming to every match here [Kathmandu]. Even if there are only one or two fans in the final, it will be more than sufficient for us, as we know we have thousands back at our hometown cheering for us before television screens.”

Further, East Bengal will be playing with more vigour in the final as they will be wearing their historic red-and-gold jersey. The Indian side could not use it in their last three matches before facing APF on Wednesday due to the colour-issue with the opponents’ jersey.

“We bleed red and gold. We always play with the red-and-gold jersey and the East Bengal logo because it carries the belief of our fans,” Andrews said. “The club has not won an international title since 2004, so we will put an end to that streak with the SAFF silverware.”

Similarly, East Bengal’s skipper and main striker, Fazila Ikwaput, the Ugandan international who has scored seven goals in the last four matches of the tournament, also believes that her team can win the title.

“There will be pressure with APF, a good team backed by a large crowd,” said Ikwaput. “But we have a good team, who are fighting for our fans back home. So, we will focus on the team, not the crowd, and win.”