Three players who can potentially solve India's creative issues against Singapore

India sit at the third spot in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers table.

Khalid Jamil’s Indian Football Team were able to scratch out a hard-earned point in their recent AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifier against Singapore. It wasn’t, however, the most glittering of performances from the Blue Tigers as they needed to be defensively really strong to be able to restrict the hosts to only one goal.

Moreover, they also needed a late goal from Rahim Ali that was basically gifted to them because of a horrendous back pass from a defender. India struggled to create multiple major chances in the game, with Sunil Chhetri being a bit of a bystander in the opposition half during his performance.

The Indian football Team horribly lacked creativity amongst their ranks, and were just not able to create enough chances from the wide areas.

It’s clear that Khalid Jamil needs to make changes to the team for the upcoming home game against Singapore.

He needs to add more creativity into the Indian side for them to be able to produce slick chances on a consistent basis and really take the fight to Singapore.

Here we look at the three players who can possible solve India’s chance creation problems against Singapore football team.

3. Liston Colaco (as a no.10)

Liston Colaco had a topsy-turvy outing in his first appearance under Khalid Jamil for India, as he was mostly neutralized by the Singapore defenders in the last game. He tried to make some darting run through the wide areas, but his final product just wasn’t there.

However, there is a chance that Liston could potentially benefit from a little tweak to his position for the upcoming game against Singapore. Colaco could potentially be moved into a no.10 or second striker role, as long as he gets the utmost freedom to occasionally move out wide as well.

Liston is blessed with decent creativity, as he created 29 chances in the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) campaign for Mohun Bagan.

He is not only capable of swinging in inviting crosses, but Liston can also move into the empty areas through the central channels and play clever passes to put his teammates into promising positions.

He can potentially help add an unpredictability factor to India for their game against Singapore and catch the opposition players off guard with his smart off-the-ball movement and finishing product.

2. Sahal Abdul Samad

Sahal Abdul Samad had a pretty decent cameo for India in the Singapore clash, adding more urgency to their attacking line. He is probably in line to make a start in the upcoming clash at the Fatorda Stadium, and the Mohun Bagan midfielder can also add a lot more efficiency to the Indian attacks.

Sahal’s impressive pressing ability helps him win possession in key areas, something that can significantly enhance India’s counter-attacking ability.

Moreover, the Mohun Bagan ace is excellent with his link-up play and movement in the close spaces, allowing him to outwit opposition players and get the ball into promising positions for his side. Samad is blessed with impressive creativity, which he also showed in the 2025 Durand Cup by bagging four assists in three games for the Mariners.

He can play teammates into the danger zones in the final third with innovative forward passes and is also a goal threat, being able to slip past defenders to get to the end of chances and finish them off decisively.

1. Brandon Fernandes

Khalid Jamil surprised many Indian fans by opting against giving any playing time to Brandon Fernandes in the draw against Singapore. Perhaps a big reason for that is because of Sandesh Jhingan’s sending off forcing India into an uncomfortable position in the second half.

However, if Jamil really wants his India side to take the fight to the Lions and play some engaging attacking football, then he needs to unleash Fernandes into his side. That is because the Mumbai City midfielder is arguably the most creative player in the squad.

Brandon has already picked up nine assists in 32 games for India and has the qualities to torment the Singapore players. Brandon is quite used to playing at the Fatorda Stadium, his former home ground, and will thrive in the conditions.

He has the ability to create huge chances from set pieces because of his crossing ability, while his accurate long balls and through balls can help add another dimension to India’s attacking threat. Fernandes could be the X-factor for India to help them unlock the Singapore backline and get a big win.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram.