The Nepal national football team is currently in Hong Kong as part of their preparations for the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Laos. On Thursday evening, Nepal will play a friendly match against Hong Kong at 5:45 PM.

Head coach Matías “Matt” Rust spoke at the pre-match press conference, stating that the team is fully prepared for the game. He mentioned that despite Hong Kong being a strong opponent, Nepal has put in nearly a month of intense training.

"Playing a friendly like this ahead of the Laos match gives us positive momentum. It’s an opportunity to identify our weaknesses and work on them before the qualifiers, which is certainly a positive aspect," said Rust. He also noted that the team has spent some time training at high altitude and is fully ready for the upcoming matches.

Nepal’s captain, Kiran Chemjong, echoed the coach’s sentiments at the press conference, saying that the team has prepared well not only for the friendly but also for the crucial match against Laos. "We respect our opponents, but as visitors, we are ready for tomorrow’s match and are hopeful for a good result," Chemjong said.

The Nepal team held their final training session on Wednesday evening ahead of the Thursday clash. Interestingly, the Hong Kong side recently lost 3-1 on the same pitch to English club Manchester United.

Currently, Hong Kong is ranked 153rd in the FIFA World Rankings, while Nepal stands at 175th.