Khalid Jamil's India eye mammoth task against 20th-ranked Iran in CAFA Nations Cup 2025

India are second in CAFA Nations Cup 2025 group B standings.

India are set for arguably the biggest challenge of the group stages of the 2025 CAFA Nations Cup when they face off against an intimidating Iran side in their second game on Monday (1st September, 2025).

The Blue Tigers will need to produce an incredibly stubborn performance to frustrate their opponents and keep the Iran side from tormenting them with their attacking brilliance.

The Stakes

India

For the Indian football team, the start to the Khalid Jamil era couldn’t have gone in a better fashion. They produced an inspired performance to pick up a win over hosts Tajikistan in their first group game, but consistency is key for the Blue Tigers to really evolve under the new gaffer. Jamil will not be letting his players get overly excited and will keep them grounded and focused on the tough tasks ahead. He will need them to keep a really sturdy defensive shape to close down spaces quickly and not let the opponents dictate things in their box.

He will also need his players to be clinical from set-pieces and counter-attacks in taking up their chances perfectly to stun Iran. A win against a team of Iran’s calibre can be a huge momentum booster for the Blue Tigers and help the players buy into the magic of Jamil’s system. A nasty loss, however, would cause all the confidence levels to drop down and impact India’s chances of making it past the group stages.

Iran

Iran are the undisuputed favorites to win the Cafa Nations Cup and they proved that with a dominant performance against Afghanistan ain their first game, picking up a 3-1 win. They will be respectful to the kind of quality India possesses, but Amir Ghalenoei will be urging his side to torment the Indian side with their attacking brilliance. He will want his players to play their natural game and be proactive and clinical with their attacking moves to disrupt the stubborn defensive line of their opponents.

A win for Iran will help them book a place in the knockout rounds, which the gaffer will want to seal in compelling fashion. However, a draw or a loss to India can be particularly damaging to their momentum levels and cause questions to pop up on their ability to win the tournament.

Team News

Khalid Jamil was fortunate enough to see his players avoid any injury issues in the win over Tajikistan. There are no absentees due to any suspension issues, meaning the gaffer will be able to select from the same squad as the last game.

Amir Ghalenoei should have a fully fit unit available for this game against India, as his players avoided any injury or suspension trouble in the previous game.

Head-to-Head

Matches Played – 10

India wins – 1

Iran wins – 8

Draws – 1

Probable Lineups

India (4-2-3-1)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Rahul Bheke, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Muhammed Uvaisl; Suresh Singh, Jeakson Singh; Vikram Partap Singh, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan; Irfan Yadwad

Iran (4-4-2)

Payam Niazmand (GK), Ramin Rezaeian, Aref Aghasi, Ali Nemati, Omid Noorafkan, Roozbeh Cheshmi, Mehran Ahmadi, Alireza Jahanbaksh, Majid Aliyari, Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh, Majid Hosseini

Players to Watch

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (India)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu made an impressive return to international football with India, producing an admirable performance in the win over Tajikistan. Not only did he made a number of clutch saves, he also denied a penalty in the second half to help his side get the job done. However, Gurpreet can now expect an even tougher fight in the upcoming game against Iran.

That is because the Iran side will be creating a lot more chances and be testing him with more challenging shots on target. That means Gurpreet needs to be at his sharpest in the goal, being able to make clutch saves and showcase impressive reflexes to frustrate the Iran players. He’ll need to tap into his superhero mode to make a string of stops and enable his side to compete strongly against the opponents.

Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh (Iran)

Amirhossein Hosseinzadeh has had a pretty good start to the CAFA Nations Cup with Iran, as he was in clinical form in their win over Afghanistan. He scored an impressive goal to help his side get a commanding win and will look to maintain his good form against India. The 24-year-old forward will aim to get into the empty areas in the final third to disrupt the Indian backline shape and cause them to open up gaps in & around the box.

Hosseinzadeh will look to use his smart movement to get into the final third and then finish off chances clinically to get a big win. He can be a trump card for the Iran frontline and will need to be clutch with his final third passes and shots on target to help his side get the better of the Indian side.

Did you know?

• Khalid Jamil is the first Indian coach in over 10 years to have won their debut match as the Indian football team manager.
• Iran have scored 10 goals in their last three matches against India at the international scene.
• India’s only win against Iran at the international scene way back in the 1951 Asian Games!

Telecast Details

The CAFA Nations Cup match between India and Iran will take place on Monday, 1st September 2025 at the Hisor Central Stadium, Hisor. The match will kick off at 5:30 PM IST. It will be streamed live on Fancode.

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