Indian national team rivals' watch: Palestine

The India – Palestine international friendly is just four days away now, and Sportskeeda continues the build-up by analysing India’s opponents.

History

The Palestine national football team are placed 152nd in the current FIFA Rankings, and occupy the 23rd spot in Asia. Palestine became a member of FIFA in 1998 and their best-ever FIFA Ranking was achieved in 2004, when they were placed 126th.

Palestine have never come close to qualifying for either the World Cup or the Asian Cup. In fact, they have been one of the weaker teams from West Asia and thus have been placed among the emerging nations of Asia. Like India, they compete in the AFC Challenge Cup. Their record in the West Asian Football Championship also hasn’t been great, as they have never got past the group stage, but they did finish fourth in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup, where they were beaten by eventual winners North Korea in the semi-finals.

The political conflict with Israel has been one of the main reasons for Palestine’s poor performances on the international stage, as often their players have been denied exit visas for away matches. They have even found it difficult to play home matches due to political problems, with their first-ever home international only coming in 2008 when they played out a 1-1 draw with Jordan.

Current Team

Under current Jordanian coach Jamal Mahmoud, Palestine football seems to be on the rise, as besides the fourth-place finish in the 2012 AFC Challenge Cup in Nepal, they beat a European nation for the first time. It came in the 2-0 success over Azerbaijan in a friendly, and Mahmoud also guided Palestine to their first-ever win in the West Asian Championship last year as they defeated Lebanon 1-0.

Like India, Palestine will be using this international friendly to prepare for next month’s 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, where they have been drawn in Group D alongside hosts Nepal, Bangladesh and Northern Mariana Islands. So with two South Asian teams in their qualifying group, India will provide the ideal test for Palestine.

The West Asians however have only been able to name three foreign-based players in their 18-man travelling squad. Captain and first-choice goalkeeper Ramzi Saleh, who plies his trade in Egypt, Poland-based left back Alexis Norambuena, Boca Juniors defender Daniel Mustafa and Belgium-based central defender Omar Jarun are the notable absentees.

However, 13 members from the West Asian Championship squad will be making the trip to Kochi, including Swedish-born winger Imad Zatara, who plays his club football for Swedish outfit Atvidabergs FF. Experienced center-back Abdelatif Bahdari, who plays for Saudi Arabia’s Hajer Club, also makes a return to the national team after nearly 18 months, as he was often not been released by his club for international duty.

Mahmoud employs the 4-2-3-1 system, and thus the passing game is key for Palestine, with the wingers sharing the burden of goal scoring along with the main striker. Either the experienced Ashraf Nu’man or the young and exciting Abdelhamid Abuhabib plays in the number ‘10’ role. Nu’man can also operate upfront, but if he starts as the playmaker, Eyad Abugharqoud, who famously scored the winner against Lebanon, could operate as the lone striker.

Palestine are fairly strong in midfield as well, with 28-year-old Khader Yousef being the most capped (40 caps) player in the travelling squad. The weaknesses look to be in the goalkeeping department and defence as skipper Saleh is unavailable while the backline is missing several foreign-based players and lack an experienced left back.

Key Players

Abdelatif Bahdari (Central Defender): In the absence of several key and foreign-based defenders, the return of Bahdari to the national team will be a big boost for Palestine. Bahdari’s height (6 feet 2 inches) and experience will be vital and he could be the man marking India skipper Sunil Chhetri.

Khader Yousef (Central Midfielder): Yousef is Palestine’s midfield general and vital to their 4-2-3-1 system. He is equally important in breaking up opposition’s play and initiating his team’s attacks and thus India’s midfielders will have to be at their best to stop Yousef from dictating play.

Imad Zatara (Winger): Zatara is one of the most creative players in the Palestine team and is versatile too as he can operate on both flanks. His trickery and crossing can be deadly but Zatara can also score the odd goal and his strike in the 1-2 defeat to Oman in December is proof of it.

Ashraf Nu’man (Attacking Mifielder/Forward): Nu’man is another versatile attack-minded player and is possibly Palestine’s biggest goal threat. Besides his skills and technique, Nu’man works really hard for the team and his movement can give the Indian defence plenty of problems.