FIFA World Cup Qualifiers: Three key battles to influence India vs Qatar tie

Both teams are stepping into the fixture on the back of wins

India is set to take on Qatar in their next 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers fixture on 21 November 2023 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, Odisha. The Blue Tigers recorded an impressive 1-0 win over Kuwait away from home in their opening Group A contest. However, playing against the hosts of the 2022 FIFA World Cup will be an even tougher task.

Qatar decimated Afghanistan by an 8-1 scoreline to start their FIFA WC Qualification campaign in style. They are favourites to be one of the two teams from Group A of the second round of qualifiers to advance into the third round. India will hope to hold the visiting Qataris to at least a draw, but for that, the Indian players will need to deliver an outstanding performance once again.

There will be plenty of exciting battles on the pitch when India and Qatar face each other. Here are the three key ones that may make the difference:

Akash Mishra vs Almoez Ali

It will be a battle between attack and defence when Qatar throws its attacking force at the Indian defence on 21 November. Akash Mishra, India’s first-choice left-back will be up against Almoez Ali who is in magnificent form.

The attacker scored four goals against Afghanistan and will be hungry to add more to his tally. Akash Mishra has the pace to keep up with Ali but needs to be wary of his movement. Allowing Almoez Ali even an inch may lead to dire consequences for India and Mishra will need to perform well to keep him at bay. 

Nikhil Poojary vs Akram Afif

Akram Afif is one of the most dangerous attackers in the Qatari line-up. He was superb against Afghanistan and caused plenty of problems. He made one assist and won two penalties as Afghanistan’s defenders had no idea how to contain him.

Nikhil Poojary will come up against the technically and physically adept Akram Afif. The Hyderabad FC defender must replicate his solid performance from the victory against Kuwait. India must defend well and the channels need to be closely marked in order to do that. The industry from Poojary is one of his major assets and India will rely on it once more during the game versus Qatar.

Lalengmawia Ralte vs Hassan Al-Haydos

Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte was sensational against Kuwait, carrying his club form into the international stage. The player worked hard in the midfield for Igor Stimac and provided the team with much-needed balance.

Hassan Al-Haydos, Qatar’s captain, scored and caused mayhem in Afghanistan’s defence with his pinpoint passes from long-range. When India and Qatar meet, the midfield battle will be of vital importance. 

Apuia must keep a close eye on Al-Haydos and feed his wingers effortlessly during counters. Since he is one the most technically sound players in the Indian team, a large chunk of responsibility to create from the deep will fall on him. The box-to-box midfielder must provide cover in defence and act as an option in attack well. 

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