In preparation for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup, India face their mighty neighbours China at the Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium in Suzhou City, Jiangsu province on Saturday in a friendly.
The last time one saw the Sino-Indian rivalry being played out on the football pitch was 21 years ago. It was the 1997 Nehru Cup where Team Dragon emerged 2-1 winners in Kochi.
Ranked 76th, China walk in as overwhelming favourites but India, under Stephen Constantine, has made great strides in the recent past and are now ranked 97th.
India made its way into Asia's flagship tournament for the first time since 1984 through the qualifying rounds.
The Blue Tigers graduate to play quality opposition rather than their usual South Asian neighbours in their only game of the current FIFA international friendly window.
| Game | China PR vs India |
| Date | Saturday, October 13 |
| Time | 5:05 PM IST (GMT +5:30) |
TV Channel, Live Stream & How To Watch
The Star Sports Network have the exclusive rights to broadcast all Indian national team games.
| India TV channels | Online streams |
|---|---|
| Star Sports 3 & 2/2 HD | Hotstar and Jio TV |
Squads & Team News
| Position | China players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Zeng Cheng, Yan Junling, Zhang Lu |
| Defenders | Yu Hai, Feng Xiaoting, Li Xuepeng, Yu Yang, Deng Hanwen, Liu Yiming, Wang Tong |
| Midfielders | Zheng Zhi, Zhao Xuri, Yu Hanchao, Wu Xi, Fan Xiaodong, He Chao, Chi Zhongguo, Mirahmetjan, Jin Jingdao, Zhang Xiuwei |
| Forwards | Gao Lin, Wu Lei, Xiao Zhi, Yu Dabao |
Regulars such as Zhang Linpeng and Piao Cheng have pulled out of the squad due to injuries. The young trio of Deng Hanwen, Fan Xiaodong and Zhang Xiuwei were drafted into the side later. Senior members Zheng Zhi, Chi Zhongguo, Yu Hai, Yu Hanchao and He Chao will remain on the bench against India as China are likely to keep them fresh for their clash with Syria on 16 October in Nanjing.
Potential China PR XI
| Position | India players |
|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Karanjit Singh |
| Defenders | Pritam Kotal, Sarthak Golui, Sandesh Jhingan, Anas Edathodika, Salam Ranjan Singh, Subhasish Bose, Narayan Das |
| Midfielders | Udanta Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Pronay Halder, Rowllin Borges, Anirudh Thapa, Vinit Rai, Halicharan Narzary, Ashique Kuruniyan |
| Forwards | Sunil Chhetri, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sumeet Passi, Farukh Choudhary |
Sunil Chhetri and Pritam Kotal missed India's last away trip to Kyrgyzstan due to suspension and visa problems respectively and have now returned. Balwant Singh dropped out from the travelling party after administrative issues.
Potential India XI
Match Preview
Marcelo Lippi led his native Italy to the 2006 FIFA World Cup title. However, his stint as head coach of the People's Republic of China team hasn't been smooth sailing.
He has won only a third of the matches he has presided over which hasn't eased pressure on him. But the former Guangzhou Evergrande manager has been trusted to lead the Dragons till the Asian Cup at least.
The immediate concern surrounding the team is the sheer lack of goals. The international break last month proved to be a major eye-opener as they lost to Qatar 1-0 and were held goalless by Bahrain who are India's Group A opponents in the Asian Cup.
Forward Yu Dabao has earned a recall to the team and he will be expected to help out 32-year-old Gao Lin whose last goal from open play in national colours came in December 2014. Wu Lei will be deployed on the left flank as he will look to continue his impressive form of late which has seen him notch up 23 goals and 8 assists from 24 outings in the 2018 Chinese Super League (CSL).
Chi Zhongguo won't recover from a niggle on time as Zhao Xuri will take up a central role in midfield. Lippi is not expected to make many changes in defence. However, Shanghai SIPG custodian Yan Junling seems to have displaced Zheng Cheng as the numero uno.
Stephen Constantine is expected to stick to a settled squad and is not expected to make a lot of changes.
Subhasish Bose, the U23 national team captain, has an edge over Narayan Das whose form has been on and off over the year and he should start at left-back. Constantine might be tempted to play Rowllin Borges ahead of Anirudh Thapa alongside Pronay Halder, given their contrasting Indian Super League (ISL) form.
Skipper Sunil Chhetri is expected to play behind Jeje who is the focal point. The Mizoram striker will be looking to cement his place in the first XI with the Asian Cup fast approaching.
Constantine should use all his six substitutes which should see the likes of Nikhil Poojary, Ashique Kuruniyan and Salam Ranjan Singh all get vital minutes on the pitch in the run up to the Asian Cup.
As the Blue Tigers push on for recognition in the continent, there would be no better way to test themselves against a nation in the upper echelons of Asia.