Facing the possibility of another early exit from the Asian Cup, India will play their second match in this competition on Thursday against Uzbekistan at Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.

The Blue Tigers are at the bottom of Group B, losing their opening encounter versus Australia 2-0, while Uzbekistan had to settle for a 0-0 draw with Syria.

Match preview

© Reuters

A passive approach of sitting back and waiting worked for 50 minutes on Saturday, but in the end, India could only hold out any longer versus the Socceroos.

That is the third successive time at the Asian Cup that this team had failed to find the back of the net, while they have lost their last two fixtures in all competitions by a combined score of 5-0.

A defeat on Thursday, combined with a win or draw by the Socceroos against Syria, would officially eliminate them from this competition for the second successive time.

An early exit may not trouble manager Igor Stimac too much though, as he has made it clear the primary objective is for them to reach the World Cup, with his side narrowly behind Kuwait on goal difference in their second-round 2026 qualification group.

They have only found the back of the net in one of their previous four group matches in this competition and were victorious on that occasion, defeating Thailand in their 2019 opener, 4-1.

India have never won their second group fixture at this tournament, losing in each of their four previous attempts, scoring in only one of those encounters (5-2 defeat versus Bahrain in 2011).

© Reuters

It was a missed opportunity for Uzbekistan on matchday one, with the White Wolves failing to win their opening match in this competition for the first time since 2007 (2-1 defeat versus Iran).

That was only the second time in the 21st century that this team failed to find the back of the net in an Asian Cup group outing, scoring in 15 successive group fixtures before Saturday.

While Srecko Katanec was left disappointed with their opening result, his side still managed to extend their unbeaten run to eight matches in all competitions without a goal conceded in their last two fixtures.

Uzbekistan have not been held scoreless in consecutive international fixtures since 2021, when they followed up a 3-0 defeat to Jordan with a 1-0 loss against Georgia.

They have shown plenty of resilience over the past year, earning a result in their previous four matches in which they had conceded the opening goal.

The White Wolves have never lost to India in six prior meetings, with Uzbekistan erasing a 2-1 deficit with two goals in the final 13 minutes to win their only Asian Cup encounter against them, 3-2 in 1999.

Team News

© Reuters

Deepak Tangri made his first senior appearance for India on matchday one, starting as a holding midfielder alongside Lalengmawia Ralte, with Vikram Partap Singh also picking up his first cap, coming on for Lallianzuala Chhangte deep into the second half.

Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has 67 career appearances for the Blue Tigers and can move into a tie with Subrata Pal and Mahesh Gawli for seventh in all-time caps should he see the field on Thursday.

The Indian record goalscorer and cap holder Sunil Chhetri, who led them with two goals at this tournament four years ago, is seeking his first of the 2023 competition, while he is just seven appearances away from 100 for the national team.

After each making his debuts on Christmas Day, Diyor Kholmatov and Mukhammadkodir Khamraliev have been on the bench for the last two Uzbekistan encounters, while Zafarmurod Abdurakhmatov is the only player on this squad still seeking his first international cap.

Captain Jaloliddin Masharipov is three caps away from 60, Odiljon Hamrobekov can hit the half-century mark for appearances on Thursday, while Lens defender Abdukodir Khusanov is two caps shy of double-digits.

Igor Sergeyev needs two more goals to draw even with Igor Shkvyrin for seventh all-time, with the BG Pathum United striker netting 18 times with the national team, while Utkir Yusupov did not have to make a single stop to collect a clean sheet in his first career appearance at the Asian Cup this past weekend.

India possible starting lineup:
Sandhu; Poojary, Jhingan, Bheke, Mishra; Thapa, Ralte; Singh, Wangjam, Chhangte; Chhetri

Uzbekistan possible starting lineup:
Yusupov; Khusanov, Eshmurodov, Ashurmatov; Turgunboev, Hamrobekov, Shukurov, Sayfiev; Fayzullaev, Masharipov; Sergeyev

We say: India 0-2 Uzbekistan

Judging from what we saw in their opening match, India do not appear too eager to go forward and seek anything more than a draw in this competition.

We expect to see a lot more urgency from Uzbekistan in this one, and they have more than enough quality to eventually break down the India backline.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email