India vs Kyrgyz Republic: Blue Tigers face wounded White Falcons in fight for trophy

Manipur’s first date with the Indian football team and international football began with a pompous show in front of close to 30,000 fans, but the end is nigh. It now boils down to the last game of the tri-nation international football tournament between India and Kyrgyz Republic on 28 March at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal. The Blue Tigers began their campaign with a 1-0 win against Myanmar . The White Falcons drew against Myanmar in their first of two games. In the round-robin tournament, India lead the points table and a draw will be enough to secure the trophy in front of home fans. The equation for the Central Asian side is simple - beat India and clinch the trophy. Based on FIFA rankings, 94th ranked Kyrgyz Republic are clear favourites against their 106th ranked opponents. But football is not played on paper. 159th ranked Myanmar gave a perfect illustration of the expression as they pushed the Kyrgyz Republic to the limit by taking the lead before conceding the equaliser in the extra time.

🔊 IT'S D-DAY 🔊

The #BlueTigers 🐯 🇮🇳 take on the Kyrgyz Republic 🇰🇬 in the deciding match of the #HeroTriNation 🏆 today 🙌

⏰ 6 pm IST 🕕
📍 Khuman Lampak Stadium 🏟️
📺 @StarSportsIndia 3⃣ @DisneyPlusHS#KGZIND ⚔️ #BackTheBlue 💙 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/PKD2GLyW8Q

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 28, 2023

Wounded by the result, Russian Alexander Krestinin-coached side are expected to hit back at India in the last game. A test bigger than what coach Igor Stimac and Co would have expected to face in the international friendlies, but it’s a test they should savour nonetheless. A draw or win on Tuesday will give Stimac his first trophy win at home. Tactics With nothing to lose, Kyrgyz Republic are expected to attack from the word go. Although their style of pressing high did not work against Myanmar, Krestinin’s side is not expected to change its philosophy. “We reviewed the game (against Myanmar). A lot of things didn’t go as planned. We have also analysed India’s matches and will look to correct our previous mistakes tomorrow. We will make some changes in the team,” Krestinin said in the press conference before the game. Read | We cannot be on the back foot against Kyrgyz Republic, says Gurpreet Singh What should be India’s response in this case? The home team needs just a draw, but playing defensively against a higher-ranked side could spell disaster. Stimac knows this and promised his side “will go all out to win”. “We will go all out to win. We have a full house with our supporters and a chance to prove ourselves. It will also be a much stronger team than the first game,” the coach said at the pre-match press conference. “I was right when I said Myanmar is a serious side that can hurt you. We saw that against the Kyrgyz Republic. It will, of course, be a different challenge against the Kyrgyz side because they don’t have any option but to come out and win.”

When legends meet 🤩

Padma Shri @BembemOinam was felicitated by the #BlueTigers 🐯 at their training session in Imphal today 🙌#HeroTriNation 🏆 #BackTheBlue 💙 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/Ievz29m4pD

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 27, 2023

Team changes It’s a sound strategy to play on the front foot in a high-stakes game instead of allowing a superior opponent to dictate terms, especially when you are playing at home. But India are expected to make multiple changes to their starting XI and formation as they have an eye on the Asian Cup next year. First-choice players who missed the Myanmar game as a result of the Indian Super League (ISL) final  just four days prior are expected to return to the lineup. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu is expected to replace Amrinder Singh in goal, while Sandesh Jhingan and Anwar Ali could replace Chinglensana Singh and Mehtab Singh as the centre-back pairing. Jeakson Singh and Suresh Wangjam could start in midfield. Other major changes could be on the wing. Instead of attacking from the wing, India could opt for a packed midfield to try to breach the Kyrgyz defence. This means Brandon Fernandes could start with Anirudh Thapa and one of the wingers Lallianzuala Chhangte or Bipin Singh. Forward Manvir Singh has an ankle injury and Sahal Abdul Samad has been brought in and could come in as a substitute. Sunil Chhetri is guaranteed to start as the only striker. The India vs Kyrgyz Republic will be played at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Tuesday, 28 March 28, 2023, at 6 pm IST. It will be shown live on the Star Sports network and the Disney+ Hotstar app. Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.