Three Indian players to watch out for against Brazil
The Blue Tigers will play five-time FIFA World Cup Champions Brazil on 3rd October.
The Indian football team are poised to make some personal history when they host Brazil in their upcoming international friendly on Saturday 3 October 2026. The match will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata.
This will be the first time that the Blue Tigers ever face the Selecao, who are one of the most decorated teams in international football – having won the illusive FIFA World Cup title five times!
This upcoming clash might be a friendly, but the Indian players will face a tougher challenge than they have against any opponent in many years.
The Brazilian side are packed with world-class players playing for prominent European and South American clubs, with their manager Carlo Ancelotti coveted as one of the most successful coaches of all time.
Because of the quality in the Selecao squad, they will look to thrill the fans at the Salt Lake Stadium with some glittering attacking football to give the supporters their money’s worth. That means the challenge will be tougher for the Blue Tigers.
Even though India have to play as one sturdy unit, there are a few individuals who can be decisive in enabling them to go toe-to-toe with Brazil.
These players occupy important positions in the team, and their overall influence can be decisive in motivating those around them to raise their performance levels as well.
In this article, we look at the three India players to watch out for in the Brazil friendly.
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Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia)
The Indian team will be facing a challenging task in the midfield battle against Brazil, with the South American giants bringing many notable midfielders with them. The likes of Bruno Guimaraes, Andrey Santos and more will feature against India, and that means they will look to control possession with an iron fist.
The Indian side will need to be as proactive in the midfield as they were against Panama, timing their pressing maneuvers sharply to put the opposition players under pressure. That means quite a bit of responsibilities will be on Mohun Bagan man Apuia for this upcoming clash.
The 25-year-old midfielder has already impressed for India in many high-profile international fixtures, and it’s time for him to show just how good of a midfielder he is against Brazil. Apuia has to be a positive energy in the midfield, knowing when to close down opposition players to put them under pressure and force them to relinquish possession.
He also has to use his own press-resistant nature to be able move the ball forward in smooth fashion, and has to be accurate with his defensive challenges to protect his backline well.
If the 25-year-old can be at his energetic best, he can make things really tricky for the Brazilian players.
Ryan Williams
India are likely to play on the back-foot against Brazil, who will be dominating the majority of possession in their upcoming clash. However, to ensure this doesn’t mellow down to a one-sided affair, the Blue Tigers have to better than they were against Panama to be able to trouble the Brazilian backline.
Therefore, there will be a lot of expectations from India’s in-form forward Ryan Williams, who is flying high on momentum.
Williams showed his quality for the Blue Tigers with a stellar goal against Panama, and he looks to produce his best performance (yet) for India in the Brazil clash.
The forward is arguably the most experienced attacking option that India have, and he will need to thrive under pressure. Ryan has to be smart in his link-up play, passing the ball in the empty spaces for his teammates to pounce on and keeping the Brazilian defenders guessing.
He needs to be efficient in the counter-attacks, timing his runs perfectly to fool the defenders and get into the danger zones smartly.
Williams might not get a plethora of goal-scoring chances against Brazil, but he needs to ensure that he is able to clinically finish off any major opportunities he does get in order to enhance India’s chances of getting a positive result.
Also Read: Indian Football Team Rival Watch: Brazil
Anwar Ali
The reality of the situation for Khalid Jamil’s side against Brazil is that they will need to hold together a really stubborn defensive line to be able to hold off against the Selecao’s attacking threat.
The player assigned the role of commanding the backline will be the reliable Anwar Ali, who is arguably one of the best defenders to have played for India over the last four-five decades.
Ali is a player who really thrives under intense challenges, he will need to be at his best in the backline to be able to frustrate the Brazilian forwards.
The defender has to be vocal in urging his teammates to hold together a really strong defensive line and not create any open spaces for the opposition players to threaten through.
Anwar has to be extremely agile inside the penalty area, tracking the Brazilian team’s movement well, and be able to make crucial clearances to thwart their danger.
He needs to be closing down opposition forwards to narrow their goal-scoring opportunities and make it tough for them to get free space in the danger zones.
Ali has a huge chance at showing the world exactly how talented he is as a defender, in the match against Brazil.
A solid performance against the five-time World Champions can enable him to get widespread recognition across the globe.
When will India play against Brazil?
India will play against Brazil at the VYBK Stadium in Kolkata on 3rd October. The match is scheduled to start at 7:30 PM IST.
Which Indian player scored against Panama in their 1-1 draw?
Ryan Williams scored India’s goal against Panama in the 1-1 draw at the Sree Kanteerava in Bengaluru.
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