India are all set to face Jordan in their final international friendly before the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers next month. The match against Zambia was canceled as the Football Association of Zambia called off the game due to the unavailability of players. Now, with less than a day to prepare, Igor Stimac’s men must ramp up their efforts to make the most out of this preparatory match.
According to FIFA rankings, India is ranked 106th whereas Jordan is at 91. With a gap of more than ten places, India will be up against seasoned opponents and must look to nullify their threat.
Jordan Vs India: The Stakes
India’s head coach Igor Stimac had set up a good lineup of games for his players in preparation for the Asian Cup Qualifiers in June. This game is the last international friendly they intend to play, having already battled the likes of ATK Mohun Bagan and I-League All-Stars. However, their last game against Zambia was called off due to Zambia’s unavailability of players. That obviously led to a disruption in the training phase and it will be interesting to see how the Croatian has conditioned his players to make the most out of this match.
India last scored in their international friendly against Bahrain through Rahul Bheke. Although they went on to lose that match, there were patches of brilliance shown by the Blue Tigers. Stimac will be hoping for his forwards to fire on all their cylinders, now that captain Sunil Chhetri is back to lead the line.
For Jordan, this is their penultimate friendly before they play Australia on 1st June and then move on to the Asian Cup Qualifiers. Their campaign starts off against Nepal and they will be hoping to prep their squad to the best of their capabilities through these friendlies.
The Chivalrous have had less luck in their World Cup Qualifiers, as they only won against Nepal. However, their last match was a 3-1 win against New Zealand in a friendly. Chief tactician Adnan Hamad will be looking forward to fielding a strong eleven as he aims for a victory.
Jordan Vs India: Team News
India have a 25-member squad for this game. Stimac will have the likes of Glan Martins, Ritwik Das, Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Wangjam, and Yasir Mohammad in midfield. The Blue Tigers lost Chhetri’s valuable strike partner, Rahim Ali and V.P Suhair to injury in the earlier stages.
Though the Croatian head coach was all praises for the duo, Ishan Pandita has been given the chance to shine in their absence. Most importantly Sunil Chhetri’s return to the Indian football team has been confirmed after a six-month hiatus.
Adnan Hamad’s men are also most likely to be in full strength for the clash in Doha. With Bahaa Faisal the only absentee due to his ruptured ACL, Jordan are well equipped with all of their starters. The manager will want to exceed his Indian counterpart by fielding a strong starting lineup.
Jordan Vs India: Head-to-Head
India and Jordan met in 2018 for the first time and the match ended in a 2-1 win for the Middle Eastern nation. Nishu Kumar was the lone goalscorer for the Blue Tigers on that occasion. Stimac will want to better that record as he would like his team to step up and articulate their improvements.
Jordan Vs India: Probable Lineups
India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Roshan Singh, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra; Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh; Sahal Abdul Samad, Liston Colaco; Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri.
Jordan: Yazid Abu Layla (GK); Mohannad Khairullah, Mohammad Al-Dmeiri, Yazan Al-Arab, Ihsan Haddad; Yaseen Al-Bakhit, Sharara, Baha’ Abdel-Rahman; Yazan Al-Naimat, Ali Olwan, Hamza Al-Dardour.
Follow our website for all the latest updates on Indian Football.