Lebanon vs India: Preview and Prediction
Hosts India will play against Lebanon in the second semi-final of the SAFF Championship 2023. The match will be played at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru, on Saturday.
Lebanon has not put a foot wrong in this competition so far. The Cedars have won all of their three matches in Group B, which helped them claim nine points and finish at the top of the standings. They scored seven goals during this run while conceding only one.
On the other hand, India too has been very impressive so far in the competition. The Blue Tigers might have finished second in Group A, but that was only because of scoring a goal fewer than Kuwait. Like Lebanon, they too scored seven goals and conceded one in the group stage.
Current Form
Lebanon faced a spirited Bangladeshi team in their first match but made light work of their opponents in a 2-0 win. Captain Hassan Maatouk and Khalil Bader, the young winger from Nejmeh who has been among Lebanon’s best players in this competition, scored the two goals.
In the second match, Lebanon handed Bhutan a 4-1 defeat. Bader was on the score sheet once again for Aleksandar Ilic’s team, while the other three goals were scored by Mohamad Omar Sadek, Ali Al Haj and Mahdi Zein. The challenge was more difficult in their last match against Maldives, but a Maatouk strike ensured all three points for the Cedars.
India faced arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match but had no difficulties whatsoever in registering a comprehensive 4-0 victory. Skipper Sunil Chhetri led by example as he scored a hat-trick, while the other goal was scored by Udanta Singh.
The performance was impressive in the second match against Nepal as well, where India recorded a 2-0 win, thanks to goals from Chhetri and Naorem Mahesh Singh. In the last match, however, Igor Stimac’s side had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Kuwait. While Chhetri scored first for the hosts, a late Anwar Ali’s own goal denied India the full three points.
Head to Head Record
In terms of head-to-head records, Lebanon enjoys a slight advantage over India. These two teams have met eight times in international football, with India winning two of those games as compared to Lebanon’s three wins. The other three matches ended in draws.
That being said, India won the last meeting against the Cedars. In the final of the 2023 Intercontinental Cup just a few days ago, goals from Chhetri and Lallianzuala Chhangte helped Stimac’s side get a 2-0 win over Ilic’s men.
Team News
Sahal Abdul Samad is likely to get his place back in the Indian starting XI
Replacing Antoine Al Douaihy under the sticks in the last game, Al-Faisaly goalkeeper Mehdi Khalil did well to keep a clean sheet and hence is likely to retain his place in the side. The backline of Hussein Zein, Walid Shour, Maxime Aoun and Abdul Razzak Dakramanji is also unlikely to be tweaked.
However, Ilic could make changes elsewhere on the pitch. Hassan Kourani did not look too convincing against the Maldives, and he might have to make way for Ali Tneich, whereas, in the attacking department, Zein Farran and Sadek could be replaced by Haj and Bader.
Stimac carried out quite a few experiments in the last match, including changing formation from a 4-2-3-1 to a 4-4-2, but he is likely to return to basics for this match, although the Croatian tactician will not be on the sidelines after being shown a red card against Kuwait. Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is almost guaranteed to replace Amrinder Singh, while in defense, Anwar might have to make way for Rahul Bheke.
Jeakson Singh looked quite comfortable in midfield and could retain his place over Rohit Kumar, but the same cannot be said about Ashique Kuruniyan. Instead, Sahal Abdul Samad could be handed a place in midfield, with Chhetri being the lone striker.
Predicted Starting XIs
Lebanon (4-2-3-1): Mehdi Khalil; Hussein Zein, Walid Shour, Maxime Aoun, Abdul Razzak Dakramanji; Hasan Srour, Ali Tneich; Ali Al Haj, Hassan Maatouk, Khalil Bader; Ali Markabawi.
India (4-2-3-1): Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra; Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh; Udanta Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Naorem Mahesh Singh; Sunil Chhetri.
Prediction
India recently toppled Lebanon in the FIFA rankings, while the Blue Tigers have also undoubtedly played better football in recent times. Hence, we have predicted Chhetri & Co. to win this match and progress to the final.