India vs Syria at AFC Asian Cup: Physical challenge awaits Stimac’s men in must-win clash

Match Details

Kickoff: Tuesday, January 23, 5pm IST

Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor

Telecast in India: Sports18 Network, online live streaming on JioCinema

The Big Picture

It’s pretty simple. India have to win to stay in the AFC Asian Cup 2023. Lose or draw against Syria in their final Group B encounter, and they’re out.

– Asian Cup: Home | Bracket | Groups | Team guide

Even a win wouldn’t guarantee India a spot in the knockouts – four of the six third-placed teams qualify, but two groups already have third-placed teams on three points with games still to play. If that sounds like complicated permutations and combinations you don’t want to compute, rest easy – we have you covered

Even when the draw was made, India’s game against Syria leapt out as the best chance of points, with both teams relatively close in the FIFA rankings (91 vs India’s 102). However, Syria have emerged with far more credit than India in their games against Uzbekistan (0-0) and Australia (0-1), and have the slight edge coming into this game.

For India, there is a need to deal with a defence that shut out an attack that put three past India, compounded by the fact that Igor Stimac’s side have been wasteful with their few opportunities in front of goal. There is no margin for error anymore – India’s fate in the competition depends on their strikers finding the net – which ought to be helped by India having a full squad to pick from (including the previously injured Sahal Abdul Samad).

What they said

Sunil Chhetri, India captain

“One thing we knew for sure was we would have to deal with their physicality. It wasn’t a surprise when we drew Australia, Uzbekistan and Syria. What has helped us is we’ve had two games against teams that were quite physical. What’s more important is we rectify the small mistakes we made. We can’t change things completely, but knowing how we fared physically, we need to rectify mistakes. Playing those two teams has given us the experience we need to play physical games.”

Igor Stimac, India coach

“All three teams are similar, very physical and playing in a similar way. We didn’t have many reasons to change our approach. What’s interesting about Syria is they use the same 11 players; they have a small bench with two or three changes. They’re obviously limited on the bench. We’ll try and see how fresh they’re going to be tomorrow.”

Hector Cuper, Syria coach

“There is an idea that the manager changes players for the sake of rotation, but we need more harmony among the players. This is what we ask them to achieve. We lacked that in the first match. All 26 players should have one focus, one objective. Push and press and try to build up from the low block. We have talented players who will try and control the ball.”

“I believe the Indian team have the same motivation to win three points. So, we need to be more calm and focused on the match to get the three points and qualify for the first time in our history.”

Form Guide

(Most recent first)

India: LLLWL

A win against Kuwait in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers remains India’s only success in their last five games, with losses to Qatar (0-3) and then the Asian Cup defeats against Australia (0-2) and Uzbekistan that followed. A tough run of form for Igor Stimac’s side

Syria: LDDLW

Syria also have a solitary win in their last five (1-0 against North Korea), but they’ve earned more credit with their draws against Uzbekistan and the Kyrgyz Republic, as well as a battling loss to Australia in their Asian Cup campaign.

The Head-to-Head

India have had the edge historically against Syria, winning thrice and drawing once.

Total games played: 6
India wins: 3
Syria wins: 2
Draws: 1

Syria won the first encounter between the two countries in the 2007 Nehru Cup, a 3-2 win in which Sunil Chhetri featured and scored. They later met in the final of the same tournament, where an NP Pradeep goal handed India a 1-0 win. The two sides repeated the same pattern in the 2009 Nehru Cup, with Syria winning the group stage encounter 1-0, and India winning the final on penalties after it finished 1-1 after extra time. The 2012 Nehru Cup saw Syria not make the final, and they lost their group stage encounter 1-2 in favour of India (as Chhetri scored again).

The most recent outing between the two teams occurred in 2019 Intercontinental Cup in Ahmedabad, with India drawing Syria 1-1 in the group stage.

The Concerns

For India

While there were plenty of positives to take from the game against Australia, the 0-3 reverse to Uzbekistan simply underlined how India weren’t efficient in the decisive moments of the game. Stimac spoke about poor marking and reactions to the second balls ahead of this game, noting India had worked on it during their training sessions. The Indian coach also repeatedly noted Syria’s physical abilities, which might trouble India’s defence.

For Syria

In a word, shots. Hector Cuper has overseen a team that quelled Uzbekistan’s attacking prowess as well as that of Australia, who needed Jackson Irvine’s goal to squeeze past them. Syria have achieved this with a solid 4-4-2, but might need to tweak things going forward to offer more support to their strikers. Cuper’s lack of rotation might mean his side might tire out in the latter stages of the game against India, coupled with his substitutes not being match-ready.

The Key Players

For India

Yes, you’ve heard the Sunil Chhetri refrain before, and there may be a good chance of him getting goal no. 94 (especially since the 39-yr-old joked about having 15 more years to play in the pre-match press conference). However, with India and Syria both needing to push for the win, transitions will need to be managed efficiently, meaning India’s base of central midfield will be doubly important – whether that is Deepak Tangri or Apuia.

There will be a creative need for India which ought to mean Brandon Fernandes features, and his abilities with the ball ought to be crucial. Sahal’s return to the squad also means his driving runs from the #10 role might be a difference-maker, especially in an open contest.

For Syria

Syria have managed just a single shot on target – the lowest of any team in the competition so far, but one of those off-target strikes came from Pablo Sabbag, who hit the woodwork against Australia. Together with Sabbag, Jalil Elias, Ezequiel Ham and Ibrahim Hesar ply their trade in South American club football and may cause India some damage.

Aiham Ousou of Slavia Prague holds things together at the back and leads the competition in number of clearances (14).

The Predicted XIs