Writer : Manav Chowdhury
The Blue Tigers will be back on the pitch after the 2-0 defeat to Jordan. They take on Cambodia on Wednesday at Salt Lake stadium Kolkata.
Cambodia is ranked 171 in the FIFA Rankings,whereas the Blue Tigers are ranked 106th. Earlier the Blue tigers played friendly games against Jordan,ATK Mohun Bagan where India lost 1-2. India then went on to win 2-0 against ILeague All stars 11 and played 1-1 draw against Bengal santosh trophy team.
They also faced higher ranked Bahrain and Belarus where they again lost 1-2and 0-3 respectively.
Indian Head coach Igor Stimac is very positive with their preparations for the upcoming qualifiers.
India will not have the service of midfield maestro Apuia who is ruled out of the qualifiers due to an injury. Rahul Bheke is also likely to miss the match against Cambodia.
Cambodia last played an international friendly game against Timor -leste where they came out as winners as they defeated them by 2-1 scoreline. Even though Cambodia last AFF Championship didn’t go well for them as they lost 0-4 to Vietnam,2-4 to Indonesia and 1-3 to Malaysia ,they were only able to win against Laos where they won by 3-0.
Head to Head Record:
The Blue Tigers faced Cambodia two times in the past ,where last time they came out as winners by 3-2 in March 23, 2017. They had trashed Cambodia 6-0 in Aug 17, 2007.
Players to Watch :
Liston Colaco(India)
He is right now in red hot form Scoring a hat-trick against Bhasundra in the AFC Cup and his consistent performance in the ISL as well ,he will definitely be a player to watch.
Even though he didn’t played any friendly games with the national team, still if he is in the lineup he will definitely cause a lot of problems for Cambodia.
Chan Vathanaka
He has been a very consistent player in the Cambodian national team .The 28 year old forward is known for his pace skills and ability to score free kick goals.
Probable Lineups:
India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK),Roshan Singh,Sandesh Jinghan,Anwar Ali, Subhashish Bose,Anirudh Thapa,Jeakson Singh,Sahal Abdul Samad,Liston Colaco,Manvir Singh,Sunil Chhetri.
Cambodia: Hul Kimhuy (GK),Sareth Krta,Tes Sambath,Yue Safy,Ken Chansopheak,Min Ratanak,Choun Chanchav,Orn Chanpolin,Lim Pisoth,Chan Vathanaka,Sieng Chanthea.
Telecast :
The match will kickoff at 8:30pm (IST) ,8th June at Salt Lake stadium,the match will be telecasted at Star sports.
