Bangladesh are set to face India in an epic clash in the third group E fixture of the 2022 FIFA World Cup and 2023 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Asian Cup qualifiers at the Salt
Lake Stadium in Kolkata today (Tuesday). The match is scheduled to start at 8 pm.
After two games, both team are at the bottom part of the table and will look to get some points on the board as Bangladesh are currently without a point in group E, whereas India have got only a single point.
However, this match still special and creates a lot of excitement among the fans of both country.
On top of that, the match will take place in Kolkata. Kolkata’s people often have empathy towards Bangladesh and it’s often hard to distinguish between West Bengal and Bangladeshi people because of massive similarity in culture and language. Bangladesh midfielder Mamunul Islam said that he expects support from Kolkata crowd.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh are coming into this match after a 2-0 defeat against Qatar last week. Though the result went in favor of the Asian champions, the hosts had lots of positives to take in. Coach Jamie Day described that match as the best his team ever played under his belt.
Qatar were, on numerous times, scared by Bangladesh’s quick moves. The Red and Green came close to scoring and was on the attack even before the Qataris settled in.
Therefore, if the players can perform in the same manner like they did against Qatar, a positive result might come in Bangladesh’s way. This is the best time to play India as they are not in best of forms. The performance against Qatar is a warning for India, not to underrate the visitors.
Bangladesh might not make any changes to the combinations that impressed against Qatar. Jamie Day is expected to opt for the 4-4-2 formation with Nabib Newaz Ziban and Saad Uddin as the two strikers.
However, Bangladesh will still rely heavily on the services of skipper and midfield maestro Jamal Bhuyan’s services from the middle of the park. If Bhuyan is left free, Bangladesh might come on the attack occasionally. He has the ability to begin threatening counter-attacks from own half.
On the other hand, India’s spearhead in attack will be star player Sunil Chhetri. The Indian skipper is expected to find goals for his team upfront. However, Bangladesh will have plans to keep the 35-year old under control.
Still, Coach Jamie Day has admitted that India are the favorites to win the contest.
Although, Bangladesh comes with surprising elements, India should be too strong at Kolkata. Bangladesh are currently placed 187th on FIFA rankings in contrast to India’s 104.