New Delhi :  The Indian football team will play its first match against Australia on Saturday in the AFC Asian Cup, which begins on Friday. India has a poor record against Australia, who won this tournament in 2015. The top 24 teams from Asia will compete for the trophy in Qatar. The AFC Asian Cup is the biggest football tournament on the continent.

India has never won this tournament and will be participating for the fifth time. It is the first time that India has qualified for two consecutive seasons. India’s best result in this tournament was in 1964 when they finished second behind Israel.

Team India will face the challenge of the 24 best teams in Asia. The final will be played on 10 February. The teams have been divided into 6 groups, with each team playing 3 matches. The top two teams from each group will advance to the round of 16.

The Aussies are undoubtedly the better team; they have won this title before and have also been runners-up; they have played in the World Cup, and Australian players even play for the top clubs in Europe, while India, on the other hand, is on the verge of becoming a good team in the near future. Judging by the team performances, Australia will dominate this match and it can be a one-sided game, but no one should rule out the possibility of the Indian team pulling off a miracle.

The Indian team will play in Group B along with Australia (FIFA ranking 25), Uzbekistan (FIFA ranking 68) and Syria (91), with India ranked 102nd in the FIFA rankings. Based on the rankings and statistics, the Indian team looks like an underdog, but in fields like football, anything can happen, as did Morocco, who not only participated in the recently held FIFA World Cup 2022 despite being underdogs, but also reached the semi-finals.

India have played eight matches against Australia. Australia won five and India won two matches. One match was a draw. India lost four out of six matches against Uzbekistan. Two games were played to a draw. The team played six games against Syria. They have won 3 games, lost 2, and drawn 1 game.

India squad :  Goalkeepers: Amrinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Akash Mishra, Lalchungnunga, Mehtab Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose.

Midfielders: Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Deepak Tangri, Lalengmawia Ralte, Liston Colaco, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Udanta Singh.

Forwards: Ishan Pandita, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Manvir Singh, Rahul Kan

India schedule :
January 13, 2024: Australia vs India (17:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

January 18, 2024: India vs Uzbekistan (20:00 IST, Ahmad bin Ali Stadium, Al Rayyan)

January 23, 2024: Syria vs India (17:00 IST, Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor)

The matches will be broadcast live in India on Sports 18 and streamed on Jio Cinema.