Rival Watch: Who are India's King's Cup opponents Lebanon?

India have defeated Lebanon twice in 2023.

The Indian football team will play their final game of the 2023 King’s Cup when they square off in the third-place game against Lebanon on Sunday, 10 September. The Blue Tigers suffered a gutting loss to Iraq in the semi-final, despite taking them to the limit, and now come up against an old foe whom they have already faced on multiple occasions this year.

Lebanon have had a pretty proactive 2023, partaking in a lot of international games to improve their chemistry as a whole unit. Like India, they are also preparing hard for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup in Qatar next year and trying to find the perfect combination that can help them impress in the tournament.

This Lebanon side also has some notable changes from the previous times they faced India and have introduced some new faces that might make an impact. So here we’ll look at what can be expected from the Cedars.

About the Team

Lebanon was actually one of the first nations in the Middle East to form a football association and the first time they played an international game was way back in 1940. The Cedars are yet to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and have appeared only twice for the AFC Asian Cup.

In both occasions, they’ve been eliminated from the Group Stages. The Cedars have also had third-placed finishes in the FIFA Arab Cup and Arab Games and the only competitive international tournament they’ve won is the 1964 Tripoli Fair Tournament.

Recent Performances

Lebanon have actually played 10 games in 2023, partaking in multiple competitions like the Intercontinental Cup, the SAFF Championship and the King’s Cup. They’ve already faced the Blue Tigers twice in 2023, losing on both occasions – a 2-0 loss in the Intercontinental Cup final and a 0-0 (4-2) loss in the SAFF Championship semi-final.

Apart from that, the Cedars have also suffered losses to Thailand (in the latest King’s Cup game) and Oman this year. They have however, recorded impressive wins against the likes of Maldives, Bhutan and Bangladesh (in the SAFF Championship) as well as against Vanuatu in the Intercontinental Cup.

The Coach

Serbian coach Aleksandar Ilic has been in charge of the Cedars since August 2022 and has only overseen 12 matches over the last year or so. The 54-year-old has quite a decorated career, having also had a 15-year career as a player, in which he played for teams like Club Brugge and Anderlecht, even winning the Belgian first division twice.

After retiring in 2005, he transitioned into a coaching career in 2007 and has managed a number of Asian sides – including Saudi Arabia clubs Al-Ahli, Al-Raed and Al-Qadsiah in the past. He helped Al-Ahli win the King Cup of Champions in 2011 and Al-Shorta the Iraqi Super Cup, with his impressive work getting him the Lebanon job.

Ilic has won four of the 12 matches managed as the Lebanon boss so far, and current;y has a 33.3 win percentage. He normally likes to set up the Cedars in a 4-2-3-1 formation, in which they like to move through the wide areas and focus on swift transitions to score goals. He’ll hope his side can get revenge over India in the upcoming game and help his side earn a third-place spot.

Players to Watch

Hassan Maatouk

Lebanon captain Hassan Maatouk might be 36, but he’s still the biggest driving force in their attack. He mostly operates in the No. 10 role these days, but loves to drive his side forward with his impressive ball-carrying ability and tendency to dribble past players.

Maatouk is quite creative, being able to set up chances with his slick passes and also urge his side forward. The Cedars’ captain is a major threat because of his energetic, aggressive style and is also a clinical goal-scorer, who tends to put the chances he gets in the final third.

Daniel Lajud

Despite being born in Mexico, Daniel Lajud made his debut for Lebanon after obtaining a Lebanese passport last year. He has only played a few games so far, but is definitely one of their most dangerous threats because of his impressive work in Mexico. He plays for Mexican club Atlante. Having delivered 13 goals and four assists for them last season, Lajud has already netted three goals in seven appearances this term.

Lajud is a dynamic, dangerous threat through the left wing, being able to make clever runs into the box to score with his vicious left foot. He also loves to create chances, possessing a nice crossing ability to leave defenders confused.

Nader Matar

Lebanon will aim for more control of the possession against India this time around and for that, they’ll need to rely on midfielder Nader Matar. The 31-year-old is a hard-working, efficient figure in the midfield – being able to move the ball around nicely and also pressurize the opponents with his crunching tackles.

The Al-Ansar FC star can be a menacing figure in midfield because of his proactive style and will look to not only shut down India’s movement through the middle, but also create chances with his progressive passes.

What to Expect

Lebanon are still hurting from their embarrassing losses to India in the previous two games this year and will definitely be gunning for revenge. They learnt some valuable lessons from the past encounters and will aim to use that expertise to trouble India and get one over them. The Cedars are expected to take the fight to the Blue Tigers, possessing some menacing attacking figures.

They’ll also look to hassle the Indian players with their physicality, using their aggressive nature to rattle Igor Stimac's side into letting their guard down. The Cedars will have to work hard to win, and are probably going to pose a different, more troublesome challenge for India in this game than they did in the previous encounters.