New Delhi: Emphasis on youth had always been Stephen Constantine's strong point. Back in 2002, during his first stint as India's national coach, the Englishman inducted a bunch of youngsters in the squad for the LG Cup in Vietnam.

Few at that time were aware of the qualities of players like Samir Naik, Tomba Singh, K. Ajayan, Bijen Singh or Shasthi Duley but all of them played crucial roles in India's first triumph in an international tournament after 31 years.

Back at the helm of Indian football, Constantine now is much older but hasn't lost his confidence in youth. In Guwahati last Thursday, seven of the boys were debutants when India scored a convincing 2-0 win over Nepal, thanks to the double strike from Sunil Chetri.

However, on Tuesday, when India play Nepal again in the return match of the World Cup qualifiers at Kathmandu's Dasarath Rangasala Stadium, it would be a fresh battle for the Indians to stay afloat at the bottom half of Asian football. Constantine has rightly said "the match is far from over" and an adverse result could have a long-standing impact on Indian football.

"The first half has just been over. The second half is yet to be played," the coach said. "If you ask me, 2-0 could be a deceiving score line. If Nepal score, the game changes... the match is still available for both teams," Constantine said.

The coach is not far from the truth. Despite the encouraging cohesion in the Indian midfield and the devastating form of Chetri, Nepal, who looked a mediocre lot at Guwahati, could spell trouble on their own turf. Not to forget about the fact that India lost to Nepal at the same venue two years ago.

The Nepal coach is indeed hoping to make the best use of the home factor. "It is our home match and we hope to level scores and then go for the kill," he said. The coach made it clear he was depending a lot on the crowd support.

India, who are likely to go with the same team that played at Guwahati, are not too happy with the conditions in Kathmandu. Though no official complain has been lodged, the team management was highly disappointed with the ground conditions at the Dasarath Stadium and felt the uneven pitch could be a deterrent for quality football. But such things are considered professional hazards in international football and teams are still expected to overcome them and perform.

Skipper Subrata Paul knows it well and said: "This is a new game and a new challenge. We will approach this game afresh and it is tough for us. Most importantly, it is an away game for us."

Currently placed 173 in the Fifa rankings, India are now fighting at the international arena with their back against the wall. They cannot afford any more slip-ups and one sincerely hopes Constantine's boys are conscious of this painful reality.

• Kick-off at 3.15 pm IST.