Rival Watch: India to play Jordan in international friendly

The two teams last met in a friendly in 2018.

Ahead of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in June, India are all set to battle Jordan in a friendly. The game will be played at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar on 28th May, 2022. Igor Stimac's men have been training in Bellary and Kolkata over the last month.

It will be the only friendly that the National Team will play before the third round of qualification of the AFC Asian Cup. Sunil Chhetri has returned to the squad after missing out on two friendlies in late March.

Jordan are currently ranked 91 in the FIFA rankings, and will prove to be a tough opponent for India to face.

Recent Performances

Jordan have been out of footballing action for a while. They last took to the pitch in a friendly against New Zealand on 28th January 2022. The game ended in a 3-1 win for Jordan. They played regular football in December, 2021 in the FIFA Arab Cup. Unfortunately, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Egypt.

About the Team

Currently ranked 91st in the FIFA rankings, Jordan have reached the quarter final of the Asian Cup on two occasions - in 2004 and 2011. They have been participating in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers since 1986. They qualified for the final round of qualification in the 2014 campaign. Additionally, Jordan were grouped with Nepal, Kuwait and Australia for the second round of qualification for the FIFA World Cup 2022.

Whilst a large chunk of the current squad play in the Jordanian top division, some players ply their trade in the Qatari and the Egyptian top flight.

The Coach

Jordan's head coach Adnan Hamad, who was appointed a year back, is no stranger to the country's sport. He was the manager of the Chivalrous between 2009 and 2013. Since then, he has also managed Al-Wehdat in the 2016/17 season.

Notably, he won the 2006 AFC Cup with Al-Faisaly among other competitions such as the Jordan FA Cup and the Jordan Super Cup.

Hamad is generally very flexible with his formations. In Jordan's encounter against New Zealand, he deployed a 4-3-3 formation. His other favourite formations are 4-2-3-1 and 4-4-2.

Players to Watch

Moataz Yaseen

The 39-year-old custodian has been guarding Jordan's goal since 2009. Yaseen 's quick reactions and cat-like reflexes have saved his nation for quite some time now. He boasts of 172 appearances for Shabab Al-Ordon between 2004 and 2013. He won the AFC Cup in 2007 with Shabab.

His ability to lead the last line of defence from the back will be a massive boost for Jordan's defenders. The seasoned customer will also make it a point to deny India a glimpse of goal.

Baha'a Abdulrahman

He has the second-highest caps in the history of the Jordan National football team. Generally operating as a defensive/central midfielder, Abdulrahman's composure on the ball and delectable passing are a threat for any side.

The 35-year-old wore the skipper's armband against New Zealand.

Hamza Al-Dardour

With 32 goals in 94 games, Hamza is Jordan's all-time record goalscorer. Al-Dardour is essentially a 'fox in the box'. His positioning and ability to find spaces in the opposition defensive third is remarkable. Eventually, the 31-year-old has rescued Jordan from many difficult situations.

He promises to be a notorious forward for the experienced Indian backline that Igor Stimac has picked.

What to expect

Since both the nations have been out of the fold for a while in international football, we can see some initial rustiness. However, Jordan's technical superiority over the Indians will be witnessed as the minutes go by and the Chivalrous see more of the ball. Hamad's philosophy of direct attacking football will meet the resistance of Sandesh Jhingan, Rahul Bheke and Pritam Kotal - all of whom have had good campaigns in AFC Club Competitions.

India will have to rely on counterattacks as their outlets of attacks with Liston Colaco are expected to spearhead their offense. Manvir Singh and Sunil Chhetri will have to work in sync with the 23-year-old if India are to score goals. However, it is more important that the squad gets some minutes under their belt before the crucial qualifying games in June.