Banking on the striking prowess of captain Sunil Chhetri, India will take on a formidable Lebanon in the SAFF Championship semi-final on Saturday. Defending champions India entered the playoffs as the second-placed team in their pool after Kuwait. Lebanon come to the semi-final as the Group B toppers. Captain Chhetri has been India’s primary weapon in this tournament, as he has so far netted five goals from three matches to sit on top of the goal-scorers’ list. The count of goals includes a hat-trick against Pakistan. The tumbling volley against Kuwait during India’s last league match underlined his still-burning desire to lead the team’s charge. Chhetri will have to be on top of his game for India to hurdle over the Lebanon challenge, and this is not to say that others will have a lesser role. The likes of Sahal Abdul Samad, Mahesh Singh and Udanta Singh will have to up the ante to support their skipper. All of them have had their moments in the tournament but apart from Chhetri only Udanta and Mahesh have been able to find the target. India will be served well if they also can chip in with goals as relying on one player, even if he is as great as Chhetri, against an organised side like Lebanon could prove costly. The home side will also hope their defence will continue to work like a well-oiled machine as they have conceded only one goal in the last nine matches. All these factors might not have been lost on the Indians as Lebanon are a rather familiar opponent. The first meeting between these two sides took place in 1977 and since then they have engaged with each other seven more times. Overall, Lebanon hold a 3-2 edge over India with three matches ending in draws. However, India can take solace from the fact that their two recent outings against Lebanon fetched positive results. India held Lebanon to a goalless draw in the league match of the Intercontinental Cup earlier this month in Odisha, and beat them 2-0 in the final. But, then, past records have little meaning in the ultra-competitive world of football and India will have to be at their absolute best to beat their West Asian rivals, whose quick counter-attacks can be a thing of worry. They are entering the semis with an all-win record in the group stage, having warded off Bhutan, Maldives and Bangladesh. On the other hand, India were stretched by Nepal and Kuwait after a relatively easy outing against Pakistan. India will miss the presence of their head coach Igor Stimac on the touchline after the Croatian was slapped with his second red card of the tournament during the match against Kuwait. But then this Indian side has shown a penchant to rise over the rough sea, and the match against Lebanon will be another occasion for an encore. When and where will the SAFF Championship semi-final between India and Lebanon be played? The SAFF Championship semi-final between India and Lebanon will be played on Saturday, 1 July at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The match will start at 7.30 PM IST. Where to watch the SAFF Championship semi-final between India and Lebanon? The SAAF Championship semi-final between India and Lebanon will be live streamed on Fancode and will be broadcast on DD Bharati. The other semi-final, between Kuwait and Bangladesh, will be played on 1 July 3:30 pm. Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .
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