Preview: Can India begin SAFF Championship campaign with win vs Bangladesh?

The two teams last faced each other in June, in the FIFA World Cup 2022 Qualifiers.

Led by Igor Stimac, India will kick-off their SAFF Championship 2021 campaign Vs neighbours Bangladesh on Monday, October 4. This will be the Blue Tigers’ first tournament since they played the Intercontinental Cup in 2019.

Much has changed for the Blue Tigers since then, but not completely for the better. Igor Stimac is under pressure to get positive results. This championship can be the one in which he can redeem himself. India have to produce a better performance than they did against Bangladesh in June, to get off to a thunderous start in the SAFF Championship and to solidify their status as favourites.

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Bangladesh vs India: The Stakes

The Bangladesh game will be the first of four group stage games that India will play in the SAFF Championship. If they really want to assert their dominance, the Blue Tigers have to start the campaign strongly. Despite defeating the Bengal Tigers in June, India weren't really as efficient as they should have been.

Stimac’s side hope to play with more efficiency and be more clinical in this one. Being unable to get the three points – or worse a loss – will surely raise more questions on the manager. To gain the momentum and confidence needed to win the tournament, India must start off with a win.

Bangladesh started their campaign with a good win over Sri Lanka. The Bengal Tigers have a lot of momentum on their side which may help them outwit Stimac’s side. Realistically, even a draw can be a good enough result for Bangladesh because of their recent win.

But, they will be vying for the three points here. After coming up short in the FIFA World Cup qualifier in June, the Bengal Tigers are gunning for revenge. A win will automatically raise their odds to advance to the final.

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Team News

Bangladesh came away from the win over Sri Lanka without any injuries. They should have a fully fit squad for this one.

Igor Stimac has taken a 23-man squad for the tournament. Everyone who has traveled is fit for the upcoming game. Further, the Croatian also revealed that the Blue Tigers will rely mainly on players from ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC. Hence, expect a lot of their players to feature in this one.

Bangladesh vs India: Probable Lineups

Bangladesh: Anisur Rahman (GK), Biswanath Ghosh, Topu Barman, Tariq Kazi, Yasin Arafat, Jewel Rana, Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammed Ibrahim, Sohel Rana, Biplu Ahmed, Sumon Reza.

India: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Seriton Fernandes, Pritam Kotal, Chinglensana Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Manvir Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri.

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Man to Watch

Topu Barman (Bangladesh)

Bangladesh know they must be defensive stronger to avoid another defeat to India. To do so, their defensive leader Topu Barman has to excel on the pitch. The Basundhara Kings centre-back was really impressive in their win over Sri Lanka, even scoring the winner. He’ll have to perform even better against India to help his side keep a clean-sheet. Barman’s intelligent defensive style should help him frustrate the Blue Tigers.

Knowing his clutch tackling ability, timely clearances and game reading sense, he could nullify a lot of India’s attacking moves. If able to mark Sunil Chhetri out of the game and pull off last-ditch challenges in his box, Barman could help his side snatch something from the game.

Brandon Fernandes (India)

Coming off an impressive Durand Cup campaign with FC Goa, Brandon Fernandes heads into the SAFF Championship with a lot of confidence. The creative midfielder will again be relied upon to create majority of India's chances. Brandon should thrive under the expectations and would look to have fun against Bangladesh.

With his impressive crossing ability and set-piece delivery, he can really torment the opposition. Fernandes also needs to get his final third passes spot on to light things up in attack for India. If Brandon is accurate with his clever delivery, the Blue Tigers should get a lot of shots on goal.

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Did you know?

• India haven't lost in their last 10 meetings against Bangladesh, winning five games and playing out five draws.
• Sunil Chhetri loves playing against the Bengal Tigers, having scored five goals in four appearances against them.
• The last time Bangladesh won a competitive game against India was in 1999, when they picked up a 1-0 win in the South Asian Federation Games.

Telecast

As reported by Khel Now earlier, the Bangladesh Vs India clash at the SAFF Championship 2021 will be telecast live on Eurosport. There is no information available till now, on the details of a possible online live stream.

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