India to face tricky Bangladesh in Asian Cup qualifiers today

SHILONG: A 3-0 thrashing of Maldives in their first international match of the year will certainly boost India’s confidence, but they will be wary of a tricky Bangladesh in their 2027 AFC Asian Cup qualifying round match here on Tuesday.

India notched a commanding win over lower-ranked Maldives here on March 19, which marked the first win under the charge of Manolo Marquez. The win was also significant as the talismanic Sunil Chhetri led the team with a superb goal in his international return, his 95th in India Jersey.

Bangladesh has been familiar but tricky rivals for India and historically it has not been easy outings whenever the two sides faced each other. India though is currently ranked much higher in the FIFA chart -- 126th as against 185th Bangladesh.

The last match between the two sides had ended in a 1-1 draw in the 2021 SAFF Championships in Maldives with Chhetri scoring India's goal. Chhetri had also scored India's both goals in the 2-0 win over their eastern neighbours in a 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying round match.

Bangladesh will fancy their chances as they have English Premier League (EPL) player Hamza Choudhury, who is currently playing for Sheffield United on loan from Leicester City.

But India head coach Marquez is not unduly worried about Hamza and said his side will win on Tuesday if they play according to his plan.

"Hamza, obviously, is a good player who was playing in the Premier League. It's good for not just Bangladesh but Asian football that such players are playing for the national team. His teammates will be very motivated to play with him," Marquez said at the pre-match press conference.

Tuesday's match holds importance for India as any slip-up could be disastrous in their bid to make it to the 2027 AFC Asian Cup. The team could have made it to the main tournament in the second round qualifying campaign last year but failed to do so after losing two crucial matches that led to the sacking of then head coach Igor Stimac.

India are placed in Group C of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifying third round along with Bangladesh, Hong Kong and Singapore, and only the top team after six home and away matches qualifies for the continental showpiece.

With the margin for error in each match very low, Marquez labelled the qualifiers as 'six finals'.

"The first game is always important. It's a short competition, only the top team qualifies for the tournament," said the Spaniard.

"There are six games and we need to finish first. We want to get the maximum points possible to qualify for Saudi Arabia (2027 AFC Asian Cup host country).