India will begin their 2023 Merdeka Cup campaign on Friday with a match against hosts Malaysia at the 90,000-capacity Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lumpur. India are taking part in the competition for the first time since 2001 and Malaysia are 32 places behind the Blue Tigers, who are 102nd in the FIFA rankings, but Igor Stimac’s side have made the mistake of underestimating their opponents. I can’t afford to violate this.
Malaysia has played nine international matches so far this year and has an impressive record of six wins, two draws and one loss.
The tournament will be contested in a knockout format, with Tajikistan already advancing to the finals following Palestine’s withdrawal. The winner between Malaysia and India will face Central Asia in the final on Tuesday, October 17.
“I think Malaysia will have the advantage in the first match. Of course they are on their home ground and have done well here, but we are here to pull some surprises against them,” India said. Coach Stimac said before the game. “They are very stable and competitive and have a clear idea of what they need to do on the pitch. We are in a similar situation but with 90,000 supporters and less It’s an advantage for Malaysia given their less-than-stellar away results.”
India is well aware of the tradition and history behind Pestabola Merdeka, having participated in this tournament 17 times. However, the Blue Tigers are also keeping an eye on next month’s FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar.
“We know the history and importance of this tournament and will do our best to win the two games and lift the trophy for the first time, but we also have to be mindful of the challenges ahead,” Stimac said . . “We have two very important World Cup qualifiers coming up in November, so it’s very important that we don’t risk injury.
“We’re in pot two in the World Cup qualifying draw, so our chances of getting into round three for the first time are very good. That’s very important for us,” he said.
It’s no surprise that FIFA World Cup qualifiers are a priority for the Blue Tigers, but they have very old links with the Merdeka Cup and Malaysia.
India has participated in the Merdeka Cup 17 times since 1959, which is more than any other international tournament India has participated in since 1947. On the international stage, India has played Malaysia 31 times, more than any other opponent India has faced. against.
India last participated in Merdeka in 2001, when they lost matches to hosts Malaysia (1-2), Thailand (0-2) and Uzbekistan (1-2). Current assistant coach and former Blue Tigers centre-back Mahesh Gawali is also part of that team and believes the current boys are ready to take on their opponents in the tournament.
“We played against Merdeka once and we couldn’t beat them because of their high level. But this time I feel our players are much better prepared. They are a much better team. I am confident of performing well in Kuala Lumpur,” said Gawali.
Match details: India vs Malaysia
Date: October 13th
Time: 6:30 PM (IST)
Venue: Bukit Jalil Stadium, Malaysia
Merdeka Cup 2023 Live Streaming: The match will be broadcast on Eurosport and live streaming will be available on the Indian Football Team’s YouTube channel and Facebook page.
Indian representative
Goalkeeper: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kais.
Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Roshan Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchununga, Akash Mishra, Subhashish Bose.
Midfielders: Suresh Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Sahar Abdul Samad, Brandon Fernandes, Lalianzuala Chhante, Udanta Singh, Mahesh Singh Naorem, Liston Colaco, Nandakumar Sekhar.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.
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