India, having already secured a spot in the semifinals of the SAFF Championship, are preparing for their most challenging encounter in the tournament so far as they prepare to take on the formidable Kuwait in their final group stage match on Tuesday.
Both India and Kuwait have accumulated six points from two victories, guaranteeing their places in the semifinals. The outcome of Tuesday's match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium will determine the winner of Group A.
In the day's other match, Pakistan and Nepal will face each other, but their contest holds no significance as both teams have been eliminated after suffering defeats in their previous two matches.
India displayed their dominance by comfortably defeating Pakistan 4-0, although they had to work hard for a 2-0 victory over Nepal.
The Indian defence has been in excellent form, recording eight consecutive clean sheets. However, as they face a strong opponent like Kuwait, India's midfield and forward line will need to raise their performance levels even higher.
India struggled to break down Nepal's defence for over an hour, and Kuwait's well-organized and experienced defence is expected to present even greater challenges.
India's primary goal-scoring player remains the talismanic Sunil Chhetri, who scored a hat-trick against Pakistan and opened the scoring against Nepal. However, it is an understatement to say that other players, including Sahal Abdul Samad, must contribute to alleviate the burden on Chhetri.
Finding multiple goal-scorers will be crucial for India, especially when facing strong opponents who will leave little room for Chhetri to operate. It is imperative that India diversifies their attacking options ahead of these challenging encounters.
(AI image)
“We sometimes play well, but our ball possession can get better. Before coming here, we played difficult matches with African teams," said Kuwait head coach Rui Bento.
"It is very difficult to play in this weather, because the humidity is very high. But I have to congratulate our players for the previous two matches.”
This is the first time India are facing Kuwait since an international friendly in November 2010. The two teams have undergone layers of transformation in the interim, and they would not want to settle for anything less than a win.
FIXTURES:
Pakistan vs Nepal, 3:30 pm IST
India vs Kuwait: 7:30 pm IST
(With agency inputs)
