Merdeka Cup: Three key battles to decide Malaysia vs India clash

The following clashes will play a huge role in influencing the Merdeka Cup game's outcome.

Indian men’s senior football team will play Malaysia in the Merdeka Cup 2023 on Friday, 13 October 2023. The contest at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Malaysia is set to be full of excitement. Igor Stimac’s men will be the best-ranked team in the tournament and favourites to win, but the Hiramau Malaya will back themselves considering their home advantage.

Both national teams have sensational players who can be the difference-makers in the upcoming contest. They will be hoping to deliver a positive result for their respective teams and set up a final clash with Tajikistan on 17 October 2023.

As Malaysia and India prepare for a mouth-watering clash, here are the three key battles that will likely decide the outcome of the game:

3. Paulo Josue vs Anirudh Thapa

Thanks to his creativity and technical ability, Paulo Josue is an asset to the Malaysian team. The midfielder, of Brazilian origin, loves to play in the No.10 role and feed the wingers with penetrative through balls.

Stopping him from influencing the game will fall on Anirudh Thapa, who is expected to be one of the first names in the starting line-up for India. The box-to-box midfielder will come up against Josue on several occasions and he must win the duels to keep the Blue Tigers on top. His work-rate and contribution to both attack and defence are going to be crucial to India’s cause.

2. Safawi Rasid vs Nikhil Poojary

Safawi Rasid is an exciting winger who loves to get on the scoresheet. His pace and shooting skills make him a dangerous player to face. He has 20 goals in 54 appearances for the national team and will look to add increase his tally in the Merdeka Cup.

The Indian defence has plenty of talented full-backs and Nikhil Poojary is one of them. He is the favourite to start on the right flank and come up against Safawi Rashid. The pacy Hyderabad FC player will be a good match for the Malaysian and their duel on the flank will be entertaining for both sets of fans.

1. Dion Cools vs Sunil Chhetri

The Indian attack is rather predictable with Sunil Chhetri the focus of most of the attacking patterns. However, his quality and ingenuity always have an impact on India's games. The inevitability of Chhetri is dangerous for every opposition and Malaysia will be wary of the threat he will pose.

Dion Cools is an important part of Malaysia’s backline. The centre-back is calm on the ball and does not pull any punches going into aerial and ground duels. The 27-year-old captained the team recently against China in a 1-1 draw and will hope to keep Chhetri under wraps during their clash.