Indian football team vs Afghanistan preview, prediction, lineups, team news and more | World Cup 2022 Qualifiers 

Indian football team and Afghanistan played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the qualifiers. (Image: AIFF)
Indian football team and Afghanistan played out a 1-1 draw earlier in the qualifiers. (Image: AIFF)

The Indian football team and Afghanistan will lock horns in a bid to book a direct place in Round 3 of the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Tuesday.

While the Indian football team are currently placed third in Group E of the FIFA World Cup 2022/AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers with six points from seven games, Afghanistan find themselves in fourth place with five points. The Blue Tigers only need a draw to book their place in Round 3 of the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers. Meanwhile, anything less than a win would force Afghanistan to play in the playoffs in order to secure a berth in the next round.


Indian Football team vs Afghanistan - Recent results

The Indian football team ended their 11-match winless run under Igor Stimac with a 2-0 victory over Bangladesh in their last World Cup qualifier outing. Prior to that, the Blue Tigers played out a 1-1 draw with Oman in a friendly before losing 0-6 and 0-1 to the UAE and Qatar respectively.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, raced to a 3-2 win over Indonesia and drew 1-1 with Singapore in friendlies. They then played out a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat to Oman in World Cup qualifiers.

Indian football team form guide: D-L-D-L-W (Latest on the right)

Afghanistan form guide: L-W-D-D-L (Latest on the right)


Indian football team vs Afghanistan - Head-to-head record

The Indian football team have played six games against Afghanistan so far, drawing thrice, winning twice and losing once. The last time the two teams faced each other was in the reverse Group E fixture, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

India need a draw to progress to Round 3 of the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers while Afghanistan need a win. (Image: AIFF)
India need a draw to progress to Round 3 of the Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers while Afghanistan need a win. (Image: AIFF)

Indian football team vs Afghanistna: Team news

Indian football team

Rowlin Borges has been ruled out of the game against Afghanistan due to a hamstring injury. Anirudh Thapa, meanwhile, has started training with the team and could get a few minutes on Tuesday. While Manvir Singh and Sunil Chhetri are expected to play upfront, Glan Martins will be deployed in the holding-midfielder's role.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan will bank on veterans Zohib Islam Amiri and Masih Saighani to keep the Indian attackers at bay, with captain Farshad Noor set to play in a deeper role. While Jabar Sharza and Norlla Amiri will lead the line for Afghanistan, Fardin Hakimi will miss the clash due to an injury.


Indian Football team vs Qatar: Predicted line-ups

Indian Football Team (4-4-2): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Chinglensana Singh; Glan Martins, Brandon Fernandes, Udanta Singh, Suresh Wangjam, Bipin Singh; Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri

Afghanistan (4-5-1): Ovays Azizi; Masih Saighani, Zohib Amiri, Sharif Mukhammed, David Najem; Abdul Najem, Husin Alizada; Zubayr Amiri, Farshad Noor, Faisal Shayesteh; Amiruddin Sharifi


Indian football team vs Afghanistan prediction

The Indian football team and Afghanistan are evenly matched on paper and current form. Expect a well-contested draw on Tuesday.

Prediction: Indian football team 1-1 Afghanistan

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Edited by Samya Majumdar
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