2023 SAFF Championship: Upbeat India face Lebanon challenge in semis
The Indian football team will face Lebanon in the 2023 SAFF Championship semis on July 1 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Lebanon topped Group B with relative ease while India finished second in Group A behind Kuwait. The two sides will meet again for the third time in 15 days (twice in Intercontinental Cup). Both teams will be aiming to perform well.
Timing, venue and streaming details
Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru will host the the match once again.. Kick-off is scheduled at 7:30pm IST. While the other semi-final games between Kuwait and Bangladesh will commence here at 3:30pm IST on the same day. The stadium can hold approximately 25,000 spectators. DD Bharat will telecast the game, while fans can live-stream the match on FanCode app.
A look at the head-to-head record
Lebanon and India have crossed swords against each other ever since 1977. Overall, they have featured in eight football matches with Lebanon holding a slight edge over the Blue Tigers. They have won thrice against India while three matches have also ended in draws. India have secured two victories against Lebanon. Igor Stimac's men defeated Lebanon 2-0 in the 2023 Intercontinental Cup final.
India's stellar numbers from their recent run
India are unbeaten in 19 matches in all competitions, facing their last defeat against Qatar in June 2021, in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. Before their 1-1 draw against Kuwait, India had kept nine successive clean sheets. At the 2023 SAFF Championship, India slammed 4-0 in the clash against Pakistan followed by a 2-0 win over Nepal. They held Kuwait to a 1-1 draw.
A look at Lebanon's recent form
Lebanon have not been at their best recently. They could only register a win over Vanuatu at the 2023 Intercontinental Cup and played out draws against Mongolia and India in the group stage. Eventually, they lost the final against the hosts. At the SAFF Championship, they started with a 2-0 win over Bangladesh, a 4-1 win over Bhutan and also edged past Maldives.
A look at the probable playing XIs
India's probable XI: Amrinder Singh (Gk), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Rahul Bheke, Akash Mishra, Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte and Sunil Chhetri. Lebanon's probable XI: Mehdi Khalil (Gk), Hussein Zein, Walid Shour, Maxim Aoun, Razaq Dakramanji, Hasan Srour, Hassan Kourani, Khalil Bader, Hassan Maatouk, Mohamad Sadek, and Ali Mirkabawi.
Here are the key performers
Indian talisman Chhetri needs a goal to become the highest goals-scorer in the SAFF Championship history. Whereas Lebanon's Matouk is his country's highest goal-scorer with 21 goals. He has scored twice in this tournament. Bader has also scored twice in the 2023 SAFF Championships. He netted against Bangladesh and Bhutan. Despite conceding the own goal against Kuwait, Anwar Ali has been solid for India.
