The Indian football team will take on Afghanistan in its final Group E match of the joint 2022 FIFA World Cup and the 2023 AFC Asian Cup second round qualifiers at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, on June 15, Tuesday.
India defeated Bangladesh 2-0 in their previous encounter courtesy captain Sunil Chhetri’s brace. After the win, the Blue Tigers are placed third in Group E with six points from seven games and they need to avoid a defeat against Afghanistan in order to qualify directly for the third round of the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, India doesn’t have a chance to qualify for the next round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
The Afghanistan football team, on the other hand, head into the India fixture after succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against Oman and are placed fourth with five points.
With just one point separating India and Afghanistan, both sides will look to finish as the third-placed team to secure direct entry into the third round of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
Meanwhile, India has received a massive boost as right-back Rahul Bheke will be available for selection after missing the Bangladesh game due to suspension. They will, however, miss the services of star midfielder Anirudh Thapa who is still recovering from COVID-19 and will not be available for selection.
Indian football team squad for FIFA World Cup qualifier vs Afghanistan
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Narender Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose
Midfielders: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Rowllin Borges, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Pronoy Halder, Suresh Singh, Apuia, Abdul Sahal, Yasir Md, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan
Forwards: Manvir Singh, Sunil Chhetri, Ishan Pandita
Afghanistan football team squad for FIFA World Cup qualifier vs India
Goalkeepers: Ovays Azizi, Faizal Hamidi, Hamidullah Wakili
Defenders: David Najem, Zohib Islam Amiri, Hussain Alizada, Abdul Najim Haidary, Sharif Mukhammad, Hassan Amin
Midfielders: Adam Najem, Noor Husin, Zubayr Amiri, Farshad Noor, Fayzal Shayesteh, Maziyar Kouhyar, Fardin Hakimi, Milad Intezar, Abassin Alikhil, Zelfagar Nazary, Samir Samandari
Forwards: Jabar Sharza, Noraollah Amiri, Ahmad Oman Haydary, Amiruddin Sharifi, Omid Popalzay, Fareed Sadat
Where to watch India vs Afghanistan FIFA World Cup qualifiers live in India?
India vs Afghanistan World Cup qualifier will be telecast live at 7:30 PM IST on the Star Sports 2, Star Sports 2 HD and Star Sports 3 TV channels in India.
The match will also be broadcast in regional languages on Star Sports 1 Tamil, Star Sports 1 Telugu, Star Sports 1 Kannada and Star Sports 1 Bangla.
Live streaming of India vs Afghanistan will be available on Disney+ Hotstar and Jio TV.
Featured photo: Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP
