Intercontinental Cup 2023: India, Lebanon to meet in title clash
India and Lebanon will lock horns for the finale of the 2023 Intercontinental Cup on June 18 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The two teams that played out a goalless draw two days ago will be involved in the title clash Igor Stimac's men will be eager to rectify their mistakes and win the trophy for the first time since 2018. Here's more.
Timing, venue and streaming details
The Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar will host the final which is scheduled on June 18, Sunday from 7:30pm IST. Star Sports Network will telecast the match, while fans can live-stream the match on Disney+ Hotstar (paid subscription) or Jio TV.
A look at the head-to-head record
India's record against Lebanon is poor. The Blue Tigers have featured against them seven times in total and have won only once back in 1977 in the President's Cup. Three matches have ended in a draw, including the last match of the Intercontinental Cup, while Lebanon have registered three wins against India. India will look for their first win against Lebanon since 1977.
Here are the probable playing XIs
India's probable XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Naorem Mahesh Singh and Sunil Chhetri. Lebanon's probable XI: Ali Sabeh (GK), Hussein Zein, Mohammad El Hayek, Jihad Ayoub, Hassan Saad, Walid Chouar, Ali Tneich, Zein Abidine Farran, Hassan Maatouk, Nader Matar and Karim Darwich.
A look at the key performers
Sunil Chhetri has slammed 12 goals in the competition and 86 overall for India. Lallianzuala Chhangte is in good form having scored 10 goals in the 2022-23 ISL season. He also scored in the first match against Mongolia. Sandesh Jhingan has been a prime factor in India's strong defensive outcome. Lebanon skipper Hassan Maatouk will be crucial. He is Lebanon's joint-highest goal-scorer (21 goals).
India's run in the tournament
India won the Intercontinental Cup back in 2018 by defeating Kenya in the finals. However, they finished last in the 2019 edition. They started this edition with a 2-0 win over Mongolia, followed by a 1-0 victory against Vanuatu. They shared the spoils with Lebanon in a 0-0 draw in the final group game. India topped the table with two wins and a draw.
Six successive clean sheets and a 15-game unbeaten run
India have kept six successive clean sheets in all competitions. Before the Intercontinental Cup, India kept clean sheets against Kyrgyzstan (friendly), Myanmar (friendly), and Hong Kong (AFC Asian Cup qualification 3rd round). Meanwhile, India are now unbeaten in 15 matches, facing their last defeat against Qatar on June 3, 2021, in the World Cup Qualifiers second round.
