New Delhi: Going winless for a year before beginning their AFC Asian Cup qualifiers campaign in 2025 is what India would hope to avoid in their friendly against Malaysia on Monday.
The last time they failed to win a match in a calendar year was in 2014 and after a run of six defeats and four draws in 2024, Manolo Marquez’s boys would have to show they are on an upward curve under him.
The Spaniard has been in charge of three of these winless matches since July, watching his boys go down once and draw twice. In September, he began his stint at the same venue with a goalless stalemate with Mauritius, followed by a 0-3 defeat to Syria and a 1-1 draw in Vietnam.
For someone who has put greater emphasis on preparation over results in his short tenure so far, even Marquez would admit that going winless would hardly provide a positive feeling in the camp before beginning of the qualifiers in March next year.
Dearth of goal scorers
To win, India would need to score, possibly more than one. How the Spaniard brings out goals from players of a team struggling to find the net after the retirement of Sunil Chhetri would be up for scrutiny.
Farukh Choudhary could be an answer as he won’t be short on confidence after overhead lob earned India a draw in Vietnam. Manvir Singh could be, his left foot giving India three points in Kuwait in a World Cup qualifier last year, and being among goals for Mohun Bagan in the Indian Super League.
Lallianzuala Chhangte would hope to step up in the international arena after consistently scoring for Mumbai City in the last two years and netting India’s first goal from open play in over 600 minutes, against Qatar in June.
They have to show that they can consistently be on target in international matches, which only Chettri managed in the last decade.
Historic duel with Malaysia
Up against them would be an opponent, who have beaten them 4-2 last year in the Merdeka tournament, albeit India felt hard done by when Chhangte’s legitimate right footed second half strike was erringly chalked off by the referee.
That game once again showed that outcomes between India and Malaysia depend on fine margins, with both teams winning 12 each in the 32 times they have faced each other.
In FIFA rankings too, India at 125 isn’t much ahead of Malaysia (133). Both team have retained a host of players from that Merdeka squad too.
The only telling difference could be Malaysia’s recent form with nine goals and three wins in their last five matches (two wins out of three under new coach Pau Marti since July), which would mean that India have to be sure-footed at the back.
Veteran Sandesh Jhingan’s return from a knee injury after 10 months could help the backline as Marquez will strive to get the balance of the team right after a week’s training.
Indi vs Malaysia, FIFA international friendly
Kick-off at 7.30 pm at Hyderbad’s Gachibowli stadium
Live telecast on Sports 18 Network, streaming on Jio Cinema.
Winless in 2024 so far, Manolo Marquez’s India take on Malaysia in a friendly in Hyderabad on Monday Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
