Bolstered by the return of Jackson Singh and Anwar Ali, the Indian football team will renew its quest to reach the third round of FIFA World Cup qualifying for the first time when they face a weaker Afghanistan on Thursday. With midfielder Jackson and centre-back Anwar back in the lineup after India’s recent injury absences, the Blue Tigers will have the opportunity to face lower-placed opponents in the second preliminary round of the United Qualifiers.
The Indian team currently ranks second in Group A with three points and one win from two games.
Defending Asian champions Qatar currently top the standings with six points from two wins, while Kuwait ranks second with one win. Afghanistan have lost both games so far and are ranked bottom.
India’s win away to Kuwait puts Igor Stimac’s side in a good position to advance further in the qualifying round, something the 117th-placed side have never achieved.
Victories in their upcoming away and home games against 158th-ranked Afghanistan will help India take nine points, while Qatar are expected to win their next two games against Kuwait, so the Blue Tigers The team does have a chance to jump to second place in the standings.
India defeated Kuwait (1-0) in their first qualifier match in Kuwait City before losing to Qatar (0-3) in Bhubaneswar.
India and Afghanistan have met regularly since their first meeting in 1949, and even after Afghanistan withdrew from the SAFF in 2016, the regional rivalry did not end.
The confrontation between the two sides continues in the World Cup qualifiers, Asian Cup qualifiers and other continental competitions and invitational tournaments, with India leading in most cases.
Nonetheless, the Afghans were always a formidable opponent and they fought until the final whistle.
No one in this Indian team can tell the story of Afghanistan better than evergreen Sunil Chhetri, who at 39 years of age is in strong form and will be paired with Manvir Singh. Manvir Singh took the lead in the away attack, and Manvir Singh scored in the team’s victory over Kuwait.
Chhetri’s record against the neighboring countries is quite impressive, scoring 4 goals in 8 games, including a brilliant free-kick goal in Kolkata in 2022.
“They have gradually improved from when we first met them,” Chhetri said.
“The competition was comfortable but slow and steady. And because it was in the same area, there was competition.
“So the games are getting very close. Both India and Afghanistan have improved over the last decade or so. Having players who play outside really helps them,” he added.
While Chhetri remains his biggest player, Stimac should be equally excited about the return of Jackson and Anwar.
In the past two years, Jackson has played a decisive role in the Blue Tigers, appearing in 17 consecutive games from the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers in June 2022 to the King of Thailand Cup in September last year.
His importance can be gauged by the fact that Stimac marked him as one of the biggest mistakes in the squad for the Asia Cup in Qatar.
Another reason for India’s heavy favorites at the tournament is the absence of some key players from Afghanistan, which has been at loggerheads with the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) since accusing the sports body of indulging in corruption, including match-fixing.
As the second round of qualifiers began, the conflicts between Afghan players and AFF began to intensify.
As many as 18 players boycotted the qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar, leaving the team with few first-team players against Mongolia, but the Khorasan Lions defeated Mongolia and advanced to the second round.
Still, players like Zohib Islam Amiri, Omid Mousavi and Balal Arezzo will cause problems for India.
Game time: 12.30am IST (Friday).
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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