India square off against Bangladesh in an all important AFC Asian Cup Qualifier clash.
Picture Courtesy - Indian Football
India v
Bangladesh in cricket is a well-known rivalry but in football it spice up more.
The two south Asian footballing giants go again head to head on 25th
of march, 2025 in an important AFC Asian cup, 2027 qualifier match. Both the
teams will want to start the match on a very high note by having a statement
win.
India
recently tasted their first ever win, under Manolo Marquez against Maldives in
an international friendly in Shillong. Goals from veterans Rahul Bheke and
Sunil Chettri, who came back from retirement and Liston Colaco were enough to
put up a show in Shillong.
Bangladesh
has been one of the tough opponents for India in the recent years in the SAFF
region. They boast a quite good squad that can trouble any opponent on their
day. Their biggest strength has been their tactician Javier Cabrera who has instilled
fighting mentality into this struggling side.
Bangladesh boast a very young squad with a mix of few old veterans. Jamal Bhuyan, Tariq Kazi has been one of those few names who have plied their trades in lower divisions in another countries. The biggest name of this Bangladesh side is Hamza Choudhury, who has plied his trade for erstwhile Premier League champions Leicester City FC. From there he went to Sheffield United on loan.
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| Picture Courtesy - Ray Sportz |
Hamza, who
had his Bangladeshi roots made him eligible to play for Bangladesh as an overseas
born Bangladeshi player. Hamza would be possibly debuting for Bangladesh
against India on 25th of March. There is high hopes surrounding Hamza,
as a player of such calibre would be playing for a team of SAFF region.
Bangladesh,
though ranked 185 in the present FIFA ranking could give a tough fight to 126th
ranked India, if they are not seen as a worthy opponent. The tactical battle
between 2 Spanish masterminds will be worthy of watching.
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| Picture Courtesy - Indian Football |
India,
spearheaded by their talisman, Sunil Chettri would have to be on the top of
their game to gain momentum for the coming up matches. One win could put them
in an favorable position in the group, which will ultimately lead them
qualification for the AFC Asian Cup for third time in a row for the first time
in history.
India team
has also called up Macarton Nickson and Udanta Singh before the match versus
Bangladesh. Indian players are coming off after completing their regular season
matches and it is expected that, Manolo can field a full team of fit players,
who can deliver for him.
Last time Bangladesh,
played in India was in Kolkata back in 2019, where they held India onto a draw,
but weather conditions at Shillong is very much different at a very high
altitude. If India can take this advantage to their favour, there’s nos topping
them from winning the match.
⏪ Throwback to the Adil Khan header against Bangladesh that erupted the Salt Lake Stadium 💥
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 22, 2025
3️⃣ days to go for 🇮🇳🆚🇧🇩 in Shillong!#BlueTigers 🐯 #IndianFootball ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/XeGUJoHEDe
Last 3 encounters
between India and Bangladesh :-
India v Bangladesh
: 1 – 1 ( AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers )
Bangladesh
v India : 0-2 ( AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers )
India v
Bangladesh : 1-1 ( SAFF Championship )
Possible
Lineups :-
India (4-2-3-1)
:- Vishal Kaith (GK), Abhisek Singh-Rahul Bheke-Sandesh Jhingan-Subhasish Bose,
Apuia-Suresh Singh, Brison Fernandes-Liston Colaco-Ashique Kuruniyan, Sunil
Chettri(C).
Head Coach :-
Manolo Marquez
Bangladesh
(4-2-3-1) : Mitul Marma(GK), Rahmat Mia-Topu Barman-Tariq Kazi-Isa Faysal,
Jamal Bhuyan(C)-Sohel Rana, Mojibur Rahman Jony-Hamza Choudhury-Shekh Morsalin,
Rakib Hossain
Head Coach
:- Javier Cabrera
Kick OFF: 25th March, 2025, 5:30 PM IST
Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Shillong, India.
Live Stream: Star sports 3(TV), Sports 18 khel(TV), JioStar(India OTT Stream), One Football (International OTT Stream)
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