SAFF Championship 2023: Lebanon seek revenge over India

India defeated Lebanon in the Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 final on 18 June.

India wrapped up their 2023 SAFF Championship group stage fixtures with an unlucky draw against Kuwait where they conceded an own goal in injury time. With that, India’s eight-game streak of clean sheets has come to an end as it was the first goal conceded by the Blue Tigers in 2023.

Lebanon vs India: LIVE UPDATES

Well none the less, the Blue Tigers are now through to the semi-finals after finishing second in Group A behind leaders Kuwait. Now India’s focus shifts to the all important semi-final clash against a highly-ranked Lebanon.

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Ahead of the semi-final clash, Khel Now takes a look at how things stand.

The Stakes

Lebanon

The feeling of revenge is still very fresh in the minds of the Lebanese players as it hasn’t been long since the Blue Tigers handed them a 2-0 defeat in the Hero Intercontinental Cup final. The Cedars finished the group stages as the group toppers of Group B after winning all three games in style.

They come into the game after a hard fought 1-0 victory against Maldives which secured them a first place finish ahead of Bangladesh. Lebanon have faced India twice this month and have failed to score even once despite housing an explosive frontline. The Cedars will be keen to bounce back stronger against India this time.

India

The Blue Tigers have been in really good form and head coach Igor Stimac’s philosophy of football is finally showing some results. The national team has an undefeated record at home and will want to keep up with the same. 

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The Blue Tigers came into the tournament as Hero Intercontinental Cup champions where they defeated Lebanon in a classic fixture. Igor Stimac and his men have been one of the best sides at the SAFF Championship so far and head into the semis after an unlucky 1-1 draw against Kuwait. A lot is at stake for India as they prepare to take on Lebanon.

Injury & Team News

India will miss the services of head coach Igor Stimac who was shown a red card in the last match and star defender Sandesh Jhingan who is out due to the accumulation of two yellow cards. 

Lebanon are expected to have a fully fit squad available at their disposal for the game against India.

Head-to-head

The Blue Tigers have defeated Lebanon only twice in eight meetings.

Lebanon vs India: Head-to-head record

Predicted Line-ups

Lebanon (4-2-3-1)

Ali Sabeh (GK), Hussein Zein, Mohammad El Hayek, Jihad Ayoub, Hassan Saad, Walid Chouar, Ali Tneich, Zein Abidine Farran, Hassan Maatouk, Nader Matar, Karim Darwich

India (4-2-3-1)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Pritam Kotal, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri, Naorem Mahesh Singh

Player to watch

Hassan Maatouk (Lebanon)

The Lebanese skipper has yet again led from the front and has set an example for his teammates to follow. Maatouk is the perfect definition of a clutch player and has already shown what he can do while he is on the pitch.

He has already scored a couple of games despite making an appearance from the bench twice. In the game against Bangladesh, Lebanon looked very under-confident but as soon as Maatouk came on in the second half, he changed everything and led his side to victory with a late goal.

Naorem Mahesh Singh (India)

Mahesh showed glimpses of being at the peak of his powers in the last game against Kuwait. He was everywhere on the pitch. Be it attacking, defending or creating, Mahesh had all his bases covered. 

He troubled Kuwait a lot of times with his pace and creative spark in the final third. His vision and ability to execute a pinpoint pass at the right time to the right person is what makes him special. There are certain aspects which he needs to improve upon like his finishing touches and once that is done, Mahesh will become an invaluable asset for the national team going forward.

Did You Know?

• Lebanon haven’t scored a goal against India in the last two matches.
• India’s eight-game clean-sheet record was broken by an own goal.
• Sunil Chhetri has scored 92 goals for India in 140 appearances.

Telecast

The match between India and Lebanon will kick off at 7:30 PM IST at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The match will be streamed live on FanCode. Telecast will be available on DD Bharati.