India will play Cambodia as it begins its qualifying campaign in the third round for the AFC Asian Cup, with all the matches set to be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, India.
Igor Stimac’s side faced heartbreak in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers by finishing third with just one win, four losses and three draws.
India (ranked 106th) will look to turn its fortunes in the third-round qualifiers, playing against lower ranked sides Cambodia (171), Afghanistan (150) and Hong Kong (147).
The team will be bolstered by the return of skipper Sunil Chhetri in attack, despite the 37-year-old's struggles in front of goal n the Indian Super League last season.
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Head-to-Head: India and Cambodia have met four times before with the latest meeting coming just over five years ago in an international friendly, when India came out victorious with a 3-2 win.
The biggest win, however, remains the Nehru Cup clash where Chhetri scored a brace as India beat Cambodia 6-0, eventually going on to win the tournament that year.
- September 2, 1964 — Cambodia 0-4 India (Merdeka Tournament)
- July 29, 1967 — India 1-3 Cambodia (AFC Asian Cup)
- August 17, 2007 — India 6-0 Cambodia (Nehru Cup)
- March 22, 2017 — Cambodia 2-3 aIndian (International Friendly)
Form Guide: India comes into the match after three consecutive losses -- all of them coming in friendlies, with its last competitive match ending in favour of India, with the team lifting the SAFF Championship in October last year.
Cambodia, on the other hand, has played 18 matches in its last three years, winning 11, losing two and drawing the remaining five matches. Its heaviest defeat came against Asian heavyweight Iran, with a score line of 14-0.
It comes into the match with two wins in its previous five matches.
India’s last five matches:
- Loss: India 0-2 Jordan
- Loss: India 0-3 Belarus
- Loss: Bahrain 2-1 India
- Win: India 3-0 Nepal
- Win: India 3-1 Maldives
Cambodia’s last five matches:
- Win: Cambodia 2-1 Timor-Leste
- Loss: Vietnam 4-0 Cambodia
- Win: Cambodia 3-0 Laos
- Loss: Indonesia 4-2 Cambodia
- Loss: Cambodia 1-3 Malaysia
Team News
India: Stimac’s side will be expected to be on the offensive with Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh and Sunil Chhetri available for selection.
Though Colaco had picked up a slight injury, he is expected to make it to the starting eleven, while Anirudh Thapa is expected to be the lynchpin in the midfield. Midfielder Lalengmawia Ralte and is out of the qualifiers with an injury, while defender Rahul Bheke is ruked out as well.
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Cambodia: The Angkor Warriors have scored just 16 goals in its last 18 matches, but have conceded more than thrice of that (59) — something it will be cautious of against India.
Min Ratanak, Soeuth Nava, Prak Mony Udom and an injured Lim Pisoth failed to make the squad after being included in the preliminary list.
Sos Suhana, its most experienced player and the architect of midfield attacks will be the man for India to mark as Cambodia looks for a win against higher-ranked India.
Squads:
Predicted Lineups
When and where to watch?
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