Asian Games: India aim to overpower 'favourites' China

The last meeting between the U-23 sides saw China defeat India by a narrow margin.

The Indian football team will kick off their Hangzhou Asian Games journey with a difficult game against China on Tuesday, September 19. The Blue Tigers have finally resolved all uncertainty related to the squad and are going to Hangzhou with a relatively strong team, ready to fight for the medals.

However, in China, they face a challenging task against a team ranked higher than them in the FIFA rankings and one that has ousted them numerous times in the past. Igor Stimac’s side will need to start the group stages strongly to make it to the knockout rounds and go with an all-guns-blazing approach from the get-go.

The Stakes

China

China are one of the major participating nations in the Asian Games and one that is expected to bag a lot of medals. As hosts, they are set to be comfortable in the conditions. They’ll also push to get a medal in the football category and have a pretty strong squad to the Asian Games too.

Considering their ‘favorites’ tag for the group stages, suffering a loss or draw can be really embarrassing for the Chinese side. They know that a win is needed to clear their way to the knockout stages and will consider this as a very important game to push for all three points.

India

The Indian side might not have played that many U-23 games in the past year, but they will have an exciting young squad for the Asian Games. There is a lot of potential in Stimac’s side, but they need to prove their quality by bringing their very best to the battle.

The Blue Tigers know that a win against China could not only boost their chances of getting into the knockout rounds, but also greatly improve the confidence and momentum levels for the rest of the tournament. Starting the Asian Games with a loss, however, can be a major blow and further raise questions on the quality of the players chosen for this tournament.

Injury and Team News

China are bringing a very fit squad for the Asian Games and have chosen the three allowed over-age players for the competition. This includes striker Tan Long, defender Liu Yang and midfielder Gao Tianyi.

India have had their share of controversies when it comes to the picking of the Asian Games squad, but Igor Stimac has a pretty solid group of players. Sunil Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan and Chinglensana Singh are the over-age players selected. India have reached one day before the competition with 11 hours of stop over. Thus Stimac is expected to field a weaker team in this game.

Head-to-Head

China and India faced off at the U-23 level earlier this month in their AFC U-23 Championship qualifier. The Blue Tigers put up an admirable fight, but ultimately fell to a 2-1 loss due to a late winner from Naibijiang Mohemaiti.

All-time H2H: Read here

Predicted Line-ups

China (4-2-3-1)

Han Jiagi (GK), Sun Qinhan, Jian Shenlong, Zhu Chenjie, Liu Yang, Gao Tianyi, Wang Haijian, Tao Qianglong, Fang Hao, Liu Zhurun, Tan Long

India (4-2-3-1)

Gurmeet Singh (GK), Amarjit Singh, Deepak Tangri, Sumit Rathi, Azfar Noorani, Samuel James Lyngdoh, Ayush Chhetri, Rahul KP, Bryce Miranda, Rohit Danu, Rahim Ali

Player to Watch

Tan Long (China)

Tan Long is one of the most decorated strikers in the history of Chinese football, and is still going really strong at the age of 35. A bullish, clinical center-forward, he is coming off a really impressive 2022-23 season in which Long scored nine goals and provided three assists in 24 appearances for Changchun Yatai in the Chinese Super League.

Long is versatile, being able to play in either wing or as a forward, and is a menace in the final third. With his smart movement and impressive final product, Long can really trouble the Indian defenders and will be key to opening things up in the attack for his side.

Rahim Ali (India)

With Indian football still searching for a genuine No. 9 to succeed Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali definitely has the pedigree to do it – but he needs to prove his quality for that. The Chennaiyin FC star has been underwhelming in recent matches for India, but still retains Stimac’s faith.

Ali is physically pretty impressive, being able to do well with his hold-up play and link-up play. However, he needs to shine on his final product to really torment China. With Ali likely to spearhead the attack for India alongside Chhetri, he has to be more accurate with his work in the final third and put away chances smartly to regain the fans’ support.

Did you know?

• India will be facing China for the first time in over 20 years in the Asian Games, after losing to them in the group stages of the 2002 edition and finishing runners-up in their group.
• This will be the third Asian Games in which Sunil Chhetri will participate in after playing in the 2006 and 2014 editions.
• India have won the gold medal twice at the Asian Games, in the 1951 and 1962 editions.

Telecast

The Asian Games match between China and India will take place on Tuesday, September 19 at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium, Hangzhou with a 5 PM IST kick-off. The match will be shown on the Sony Sports network and streamed live on Sony LIV.