India vs Bangladesh Prediction, Preview, Predicted Lineups and Team news | AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

India vs Bangladesh Preview

• Competition: World Cup Qualifiers
• Date: Tuesday, 25 March
• Kick-Off Time: 01:30 PM GMT
• Venue: Jawarharlal Nehru Stadium

The India vs Bangladesh match will take place on Tuesday, 25 March at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. This will be the first match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers for both teams.

The Blue Tigers will start their Asian Cup Qualifying campaign against their arch-rival in international football, i.e. Bangladesh. This will be the first time Shillong will host a Qualifiers match in history and the Blue Tigers have a lot of expectations on their shoulders. Before this fixture, they played a friendly game against Maldives and won by 3-0.

This win came after a year as India didn't win a game in 2024. Surely the home team have a good record against Bangladesh and they will be confident going into this fixture. Overall the squad is decent but their main problem has always been to score goals as they always rely too much on their captain Sunil Chhetri. The Blue Tigers will have to give their best to start their campaign positively.

The Bengal Tigers have added some new faces to their squad and they are full of confidence in getting a good result against the home side.

Whenever these two teams have clashed there have been issues on and off the pitch and surely this time also most probably the story will remain the same. Their star player Hamza Choudhury is part of the squad for the first time and surely he will look to break the hearts of Indian fans at their stadium. Even though there is a big difference in both team's FIFA Ranking that doesn't define the qualities of both teams. This will be a closely contested match for sure and this will be a mouthwatering clash.

India Team News

A lot of key players have left the camp due to injuries, including Manvir Singh, Chhangte, Ashish Rai and Brandon Fernandes. Their replacements have been called up and they have joined the camp immediately. The rest of the players are fit and will be available for the match.

Bangladesh Team News

The away team has all the players fit and they don't have any players suspended for this upcoming clash. Hamza will be a standout name to watch for the away side.

Predicted Lineups

India Predicted Lineup (4-2-3-1):

Goalkeeper: Vishal Kaith

Defenders: Valpuia, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jinghan, Subhasish Bose

Midfielders: Apuia, Ayush Chhetri

Forwards: Farukh Choudhary, Mahesh Singh, Liston Colaco, Sunil Chhetri

Bangladesh Predicted Lineup (4-3-3):

Goalkeeper: Mitul Marma

Defenders: Saad Uddin, Tariq Kazi, Topu Barman, Isa Faysal

Midfielders: Mohammed Ridoy, Hamza Choudhury, Syed Quazem Shah

Forwards: Rakib Hussain, Muhammed Ibrahim, Al Amin

India vs Bangladesh Head-to-Head Record

Both teams have faced each other 31 times, out of which India won 16 matches, 13 ended in draws and Bangladesh won two games. In the last five fixtures, four games have ended in draws and India won one match.

Key Players to Watch in India vs Bangladesh

Liston Colaco (India)

Liston has been in good form for his club Mohun Bagan as he played a key role in helping his team win the Indian Super League Shield, and now with the national team, he will be looking to give his best on the pitch.

In a friendly match against Maldives, he scored a fantastic headed goal in a setpiece and it was his first-ever goal at the international stage. With his pace and trickery, he will be a real challenge for Bangladesh's backline.

Even though he is quite inconsistent with his performance on the pitch still he can create a moment of margin in the game where the team can score out of nowhere. Also with the set-pieces, he can create a lot of trouble on the away side for sure. In the ISL he has played 24 matches this season, in which he has scored three goals and provided two assists.

Hamza Choudhury (Bangladesh)

All eyes will be on Sheffield United midfielder Hamza Choudhury when he makes his debut for Bangladesh in the upcoming match. The 27-year-old is undoubtedly the biggest name in the squad and arguably the one to provide the most damage to the Indian team in the upcoming clash. He comes with a wealth of experience, having played at the highest level of English football for many years.

He will bring some intimidating physicality to the midfield battle while trying to win all key duels. With his wealth of experience he can dictate the game very well and can make a difference on the pitch. He will look to make things difficult for the young Indian midfielder and surely he will be a player to watch out on Tuesday.

India vs Bangladesh Prediction

Despite Bangladesh having a player from the Championship it will be a close game for sure and it has always been a high-intensity game where the stakes have been very high. India will have a home advantage and surely they will look to start their Qualifiers campaign with a win at home. But considering past fixtures this will be a tightly contested match and most probably will end in a stalemate.

Predicted Score: India 1-1 Bangladesh

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