Three key Indian players to watch out for against Malaysia

Sandesh Jhingan is expected to return to the team after nearly missing 10 months of football!

The Indian national football team are all set to play against Malaysia on 18th November 2024. The international friendly will be played at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.

India’s head coach Manolo Marquez has announced the Blue Tigers’ 23-man squad ahead of Monday’s game. Captain Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will be keen to get his side a big win ahead of India’s AFC Cup 2027 qualifiers – third round that will start next year.

Going into this big game, here are the three key players to watch for India against Malaysia:

Farukh Choudhary

One player that will almost surely start against Malaysia will be India’s centre forward Farukh Choudhary. The 28-year-old scored for the Blue Tigers in their 1-1 draw against Vietnam last month and will be riding high on confidence.

However, in terms of the Indian Super League Farukh’s form has dipped a bit in recent games. While the Indian international started the 2023-24 campaign with a brace for Chennaiyin FC, he has failed to add to his tally in the other six games that he has played.

While goals have eluded Farukh, he has still been in the mix of things. India’s goalscoring hopes will once again be resting on their striker’s shoulders and the nation is certainly hoping that the Chennaiyin FC star delivers once again.

Sandesh Jhingan

FC Goa were struggling in terms of their defence in the 2024-25 ISL season. The Gaurs had conceded 12 goals in six Indian Super League games. It looked likely that the club might not be in the running for a playoff spot at the end of the season.

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However, Sandesh Jhingan’s arrival from his ACL injury has transformed the former ISL Shield winners. Manolo Marquez’s side have registered back-to-back wins against Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC and have conceded just one goal in these two games.

The 31-year-old last played for the Blue Tigers in the 1-0 AFC Asian Cup loss to Syria in January 2024. With fellow centre back Anwar Ali also in form, Sandesh Jhingan’s arrival will further boost the Blue Tigers as they look to keep a clean sheet against Malaysia.

Roshan Singh Naorem

The Bengaluru FC star started the game against Vietnam and is once again expected to be named in the playing XI against Malaysia. Roshan Singh Naorem will be important for the Indian side as he would have to put in double duty on the left wing.

The 25-year-old has made 8 ISL appearances for Bengaluru FC this season, in which the left back has won 29 duels, won 11 tackles, and has made 29 recoveries. To add to this, Roshan has also scored an ISL goal and has created five chances for his Bengaluru FC teammates.

Roshan underperformed in the game against Vietnam last month. The youngster was caught out of position on multiple occasions and also didn’t contribute much in attack. The spotlight will be on the Manipuri player once again as India hope to end their one-year winless streak in international games.

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