Indian Football Team rival watch: Tajikistan

India will play against Tajikistan in the CAFA Nations Cup opening fixture on August 29.

As the CAFA Nations Cup gets ready to set rolling, let’s take a look at the teams the Indian Football Team will be up against. One of the hosts and steady challengers, Tajikistan, will be looking to oust the Indian national team and put forth a strong showing at the Nations Cup and possibly progress to the knockout stage.

But how good are they?

The Tajikistan National Football team is a growing force in the Central Asian Football Association. The Crowns, as they are nicknamed, have shown consistent level performances across the years and currently sit in the 106th position in the FIFA World Rankings.

They have played India five times, with 1 draw and 3 wins for the Central Asian side. The three wins have been more recent and is a testament to the improvement standards of the squad that played their first official match as recently as 1994.

Also Read: India vs Tajikistan: Head-to-Head record

Recent Performances

The Crowns are currently competing in the AFC Asian Cup third qualifying round for the 2027 Asian Cup. They currently have four points in two games, after claiming a victory against Timor-Leste and gaining one point away from home at the Philippines.

They also enjoyed a 2-1 victory over Cambodia in a recent friendly. The draw against Philippines is quite remarkable as they had previously lost to the same side a year before in the third place playoff in the King’s Cup by a whopping three goals. They have also claimed comprehensive victories over India’s SAFF Cup Rivals Nepal and Afghanistan in friendlies in 2024.

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The Coach

Georgian coach Gela Shekiladze is currently nearing the end of second year at the helm of the national team. He initially joined as an assistant under Croatian coach Petar Segrt, having assisted him during his time at the Maldives and Afghanistan before taking over after his departure in 2024.

Under Shekiladze, Tajikistan has seen some steady improvement and will likely go for an improved showing at the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup compared to the 2023 edition.

Players to Watch

Shahrom Samiev

Samiev is a legitimate goalscoring threat for the Crowns. He has 9 goals in 41 appearances for Tajikistan and has already scored against India in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup.

He recently scored the opening goal in the friendly against Cambodia, and Shekiladze will likely rely on the Khorazm player to provide the crucial breakthrough against the Blues. Can the Indian defense hold firm against the clinical Samieve?

Parvizdzhon Umarbayev

The captain is a multi-talented presence in Tajikistan’s lineup. Umarbayev plays for Bulgarian side Lokomotiv Plovdiv and is the one of the more experienced players in the squad.

He has made 65 appearances for the team while notching 11 goals in the process. His stability in midfield will be something Shekiladze will rely on against India.

Rustam Yatimov

The trusted guardian between the sticks, Yatimov will provide a stern challenge to Indian strikers. Yatimov has featured in 47 games for The Crowns and has been the go to man for Shekiladze during his tenure.

Yatimov currently plays for Russian side Rostov where he is making a big impact,  keeping six clean sheets last season. Yatimov will be a difficult wall to break.

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