Still looking for the primary win of the yr in addition to underneath head coach Manolo Marquez, India face acquainted rivals Malaysia in a global pleasant soccer match in Hyderabad on Monday. India will likely be bolstered by the return of senior participant and central defender Sandesh Jhingan virtually 10 months after final enjoying for the nationwide staff on the AFC Asian Cup in January. He has recovered from his anterior cruciate ligament damage. The Indian staff has performed 10 matches to date within the yr, shedding six of them and drawing 4. They have to date performed three video games underneath Manolo, who was appointed head coach in July rather than Igor Stimac, and misplaced as soon as whereas drawing twice.
India drew towards Mauritius and misplaced 0-3 to Syria within the Intercontinental Cup in September on the Gachibowli Stadium, the venue of Monday’s match. The staff drew with Vietnam 1-1 in its final match in Nam Dinh on October 12.
If the Indian staff doesn’t get a optimistic outcome on Monday, it’ll finish the yr with out a win in 11 matches. Monday’s match is also India’s final earlier than the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers in March subsequent yr.
The India-Malaysia soccer rivalry goes again a great distance. Since their first assembly in a 1957 pleasant in Kuala Lumpur, which India gained 3-0, till final yr’s Merdeka event semifinal conflict during which Malaysia emerged 4-2 winners, the 2 sides have confronted one another 32 occasions.
That’s probably the most variety of occasions India have performed towards any opponent in worldwide soccer, adopted by Pakistan (29 matches) and Bangladesh (28 matches).
There’s nothing to separate the 2 sides in head-to-head outcomes. The Blue Tigers and the Harimau Malaya have gained 12 matches every, whereas eight have led to attracts.
There can be little distinction within the present FIFA rankings, with India positioned a hundred and twenty fifth and Malaysia 133rd.
Malaysia are coming into the match on the again of a 3-1 pleasant win over Laos on November 14.
Both groups know one another pretty effectively. India have 9 gamers from the Merdeka event semifinal conflict final month within the present squad — Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Sandesh Jhingan, Mehtab Singh, Vishal Kaith, Naorem Roshan Singh, Amrinder Singh, Liston Colaco, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Suresh Singh Wangjam.
On the opposite hand, 14 of Malaysia’s 26 members have been within the squad final yr. That contains two of the goal-scorers — Arif Aiman, a younger winger from Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, and defender Dion Cools, who’s one in all their two gamers plying their commerce outdoors Malaysia (at Buriram United within the Thai League 1).
The different is ahead Fergus Tierney, who performs for Chonburi FC within the Thai League 2.
The bulk of the Malaysian squad belongs to 3 golf equipment — Johor Darul Ta’zim FC, Terengganu FC and Kuala Lumpur City FC.
Like India, Malaysia have additionally undergone modifications within the teaching workers since final yr. Manolo and his counterpart Pau Martí each hail from Spain, and know one another from their time in Barcelona.
Like Manolo, Martí additionally took cost in July after Malaysia didn’t qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers.
“They (Malaysia) have been enjoying good soccer and it will likely be a tricky sport for each side,” mentioned Manolo.
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