India look to bounce back against Saudi Arabia after UAE defeat

The Junior Tigers will be looking for a more complete performance....

India will be looking to bounce back from a narrow defeat against the United Arab Emirates when they face continental powerhouse Saudi Arabia at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Morgao, Goa today. Nicolai Adam's side are now looking over their shoulder after poor defending in the second half saw them lose against the UAE. The Junior Tigers face a much bigger task against the mighty Saudis in the Group A match as they desperately need a win to keep themselves alive in the competition. The Indian manager was happy with his team's performance in the first half of the last match and said, “I would want the boys to play like as they did play in the first half against UAE, for the entire 90 minutes in the next match against Saudi Arabia; in fact, in all our matches from now on.” While Saudi coach Mohammed Abdullah also will be under pressure after last Thursday’s 3-2 defeat against Iran. Anything less than a victory will keep them in the danger zone. “It’s not going to be easy tomorrow. But we are not looking at tomorrow as a lifeline match,” said the Gulf side's tactician. Team News India are expected to go with the same team except for a change in goal. Abdullah will be looking to continue with the same team that played against Iran. He has a relatively strong squad at his disposal with no real injury worries. Midfielders Mansor Albeshe & Dhari Alanazi will be in high on confidence after scoring in the last match. While their lone striker Mali will be threat to Indian defenders as he proved himself in last match with superb assist and dribbling skills. Skipper Almas Naif will be leading the team from back line, while Abdulaziz Hamed, Alduywish and Sattam Alongedan will support him in defending. Probable Starting XI Saudi Arabia: Alasmari Hashem(gk),Mansor Albeshe, Dhari Alanazi, Mali, Almas Naif(c), Abdulaziz, Alnattar Hussain. Match Prediction With both teams coming from defeat in the last match for must win fixture, the game could end up being a rather entertaining tie for the audience. A draw could be on the cards. India u-16 1-1 UAE U-16 Kick-off: Sunday, 18 September 2016 – 7:00 PM Venue: Fatorda Stadium, Margao – Goa. Live Telecast: StarSports HD4 Live Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLeugzwb79U