India v Palestine Preview – Team News, Line-ups, Prediction

By Rahul Bhutani
11 years Ago

Ai??INDIA

PALESTINE

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi,
February 6.2013
*****

International Football returns to Kochi for the first timeAi??since 2004 as 166th ranked India square off against the 152nd ranked Palestine on 6thAi??February. This is the first time India are playing against the West-Asians in a FIFA friendly. It is team India’s first match in the new year and the only one before the AFC Challenge Cup. The same holds true for Palestine who will be participatingAi?? in theAi??Ai??AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers as well.Ai??India has not played any match after the matchAi??againstAi??Yemen was called off.

Team News and Tactical Brief

India

HavingAi??traveledAi??the length and breadth of the nation to watch I-League matches, Wim KoevermansAi??has struck a fine balance betweenAi??awarding the top I-League performers and retaining the core set of players that played in the Nehru Cup. The problemAi??for Koevermans however,Ai??is that a lot of his core set of players are passing through a lean patch and it does remain to be seen how the starting eleven would look like.

The dilemma begins right at the back where Kovermans’ favorite Subrata Paul has been warming the benches at Prayag United, gettingAi??opportunitiesAi??to play only in the Calcutta League. Subasish Row ChowdhuryAi??of Dempo has also retained his placeAi?? Sandip Nandy who has been the best keeper in the League so far has earned a call-up to the team at the age of 38 but despite this it does seem that theAi??Spider-manAi??will start in the match. The defenseAi??continues to be a headache as two of the likely startersAi??in centralAi??defence – Raju Gaikwad and Gourmangi Singh have beenAi??inconsistentAi??in I-Leahue. Raju has failed to make the first eleven in East-BengalAi??while Gourmangi has been below-par for Prayag. The fullbacks however seem settled with Denzil Franco and Mr. Verstile Rahim Nabi expected to start at the right and left. Nirmal Chettri and Gurjinder Kumar provide solid bench strength.

Indian midfield which has often come under the scanner for its non-existence, bears a new and refreshing look with the likes ofAi??Lalkamal Bhowmick, CK Vineeth and Arata Izumi rightly getting rewarded for their performances in the I-League. Mehtab Hossain and Lalkamal Bhormick are likely to start in the heart of Indian midfield and will beAi??entrustedAi??with the job of spreadingAi??the play to the wings and theAi??strikers. Lenny Rodrigues who started in the Nehru Cup final might be called in later in the game.

Clifford Miranda andAi??Francis Fernandes are likely to tread the left and right wings respectively. Francis comes into the match after scoring a brace against Pune. Young Indian midfielder CK Vineeth is another player who looks certain to make his debut though as aAi??substitute. The Keralite who is known for his pace, comes into the match after scoring a hat-trick against Air-India in his last match and can also play as a striker if wanted. Joaquim Abracnhes is another optionAi??Koevarmans would be looking at as the Dempo player has impressed in I-League despite having been asked to play at different positions – striker, support-striker, midfielder.

KoevermansAi??is expected to stick to hisAi??preferred 4-4-1-1 formation and it looks likely that Arata Izumi, who became the firstAi??naturalized citizen to earn a call-up to the national team, will start ahead of the much talked about Alwyn George.Ai??Ai??Izumi has great control and is well known for his pace and skills, which makes him the ideal person to play behind the lone striker which in allAi??probabilitiesAi??is going to be captain Sunil Chhetri. The Sporting Lisbon player is no doubt the most decorated player in the team at the moment and the fans across the nation would hope that he can score yet again.Ai??Manandeep Singh and Sushil Kumar will look to make it count if they are given opportunities

Possible Starting XI (4-4-1-1):Ai??Subrata Pal; Rahim Nabi, Gourmangi Singh, Raju Gaikwad, Denzil Franco;Ai??Clifford Miranda, Mehtab Hussain, Lalkamal Bhowmick,Ai??Francis Fernandes; Arata Izumi; Sunil Chhetri

Palestine

Coached by Jamal Mahmoud, Palestine come into the match with an eye on AFC Challenge Cup.Ai??Jamal Mahmoud is known to deploy a 4-2-3-1 strategy and it has worked wellAi??with the team finished 4th in the AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers and securing a win over Lebanon in theAi??recentlyAi??concluded WAFF Championship

In absence of first choice goalkeeperAi??Ramzi Saleh,Ai??Mohammed Shbair looks likely to start the game withAi??Tawfiq Ali on the bench.Ai??Abdel-Latif Bahdari who plies his trade in Saudi-Arabia, will start in theAi??centerAi??of defense accompanied byAi??Khaled Mahdi. BothAi??Bahdari andAi??Mahdi are over 6 feet tall and will look to keep Chhetri under check.Ai??Raed Fares, after a solid showing in the WAFF Championship is likely to start as the right-fullback and either ofAi??Ahmad Salama or Nadim Barghouti will start on the left flank.

Khader Yousef andAi??Mousa Abu Jazar are the double pivots in the Palestine 4-2-3-1 formation and the duo would beAi??entrustedAi??toAi??break up India’s play and make passes for the forward line. While Yousef is a vetran of 40 caps and is a key player in the Palestine line-up, Jazar posses a mean free kick.Ai??Imad Zatara who plies his trade in Sweden will start on the left flank and will look to carry his good run of form from the WAFF Championship into this friendly. Abu Saleh is expected to start in the right flank.Ai??Ashraf Nu’manAi??wasAi??arguablyAi??Palestine’ s best player in the WAFF Championship andAi??will play as a supporting striker. Starting upfront would beAi??Eyad Abugharqoud, the striker who scored in Palestine’s historic 1-0 win over Lebanon in the WAFF Championship.

The 18 member Palestine Squad stays as follows

Goalkeepers: Tawfiq Ali, Mohammed Shbair

Defenders: Abdel-Latif Bahdari (Hajer, KSA), Hussam Abu Saleh, Khaled Mahdi, Ahmad Salama, Nadim Barghouti, Raed Fares

Midfielders: Abdelrahim Ka’beia , Khader Yousef (Al-Faisaly, JOR), Mousa Abu Jazar, Mahmoud Salah, Ma’aly Kaware, Imad Zatara (Ai??tvidabergs FF, SWE)

Forwards: Eyad Abugharqoud, Ashraf Nu’man (Al-Faisaly, JOR), Khaled Salem

Possible Starting XI (4-2-3-1):Ai??Mohammed Shbair;Ai??Ahmad Salama, Abdel-Latif Bahdari, Khaled Mahdi, Raed Fares;Ai??Khader Yousef, Mousa Abu Jazar;Ai??Imad Zatara, Ashraf Nu’man,Ai??Abu Saleh;Ai??Eyad Abugharqoud

Key Facts

This is the first FIFAAi??recognizedAi??international match between India and Palestine
Both teams have one player each playing in Europe -Ai??Sunil Chhetri who plays for Sporting Lisbon B in Portugal andAi??Imad Zatara who plays for Ai??tvidabergsAi??in Sweden
Prayag United have the maximum representation in the Indian national team with 4 players in the 23Ai??memberAi??squad
Palestine are missing some key playersAi??likeAi??Belgium-based defender Omar Jarun,Ai??Poland-based left back Alexis Norambuena andAi??Boca Juniors defender Daniel Mustafa

Players To Watch Out For

Sunil Chhetri (India)

The national team skipper is always the player to watch out for whenever team India plays. He has hardly played in his stint with Sporting Lisbon B but as coachAi??Koevermans admitted he is training at the highest levels. The prolific scorer will look to add to his tally against a weakened Palestine defense and prove a point to his detractors.

Ashraf Nu’man (Palestine)

The PalestineAi??#7 is the heart of the Palestine attack and is a key player in the lineup. Playing as a supporting striker, Nu’man isAi??technically gifted and quick with the ball. Having played a integral role in Palestine’s impressive performance in the WAFF Championship, Nu’man will look to trouble the shaky Indian defense.

Ai??Prediction

India 2-1 Palestine

A full house is expected at theAi??Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi as football returns to the state after a gap of Ai??9 years and the crowd is likely to act as the 12th man for team India. The hosts have always punched above their weight in domestic ties and are likely to edge out Palestine.

Categories: COVER STORY, Indian Football
Tags: India v Palestine Preview Indian Football

Team News and Tactical Brief

India

Palestine

Key Facts

Players To Watch Out For

Ai??Prediction

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