India face a daunting challenge as they face hosts Vietnam in their final match of the friendly Hung Thing tournament at Thong Nhat stadium in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Tuesday.

The Blue Tigers didn’t have a great day at office in their previous outing against Singapore, as the side failed to secure a win against the lower-ranked side despite having a lot of chances and being the clear favourites heading into the game.

Vietnam, on the contrary, beat Singapore 4-0 in their last match, and will look to impose their authority on the Indian side right away. Ranked higher than India in the FIFA world rankings in the 97th position, Park Hang-Seo’s men will be a force to be reckoned with.

Only needing a draw to win the tournament, the Golden Star Warriors will pile up the pressure on the Blue Tigers, with the sole intention of lifting the trophy.

“It will be a very different game against a much stronger opponent, so our approach will also change accordingly,” Indian football team head coach Igor Stimac said on the eve of the match. “We need to be more focused, especially on vertical football and quick transition.

A must-win game for Stimac’s men, it will be interesting to see how the head coach shapes up his team now that he has the full strength squad ready at disposal against the fellow South-East Asian side that boasts of a solid attacking team.

The Croatian went with an attacking line-up against Singapore as he played Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Ashique Kuruniyan, Liston Colaco and Sunil Chhetri from the start. 

He may be slightly more cautious in his approach against Vietnam given their quality. The game against the home side is going to provide India with the kind of test they can expect at the AFC Asian Cup next year.

After a draw in the first game, the Blue Tigers will hope they can pull off a win against a higher-ranked side before the players rejoin their respective Hero Indian Super League (ISL) teams ahead of the new season.

MATCH AND TELECAST DETAILS

Match: India vs Vietnam

Date: September 27, 2022

Venue: Thong Nhat Stadium, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam,

Timings: 5:30 PM IST.

Live Telecast: Eurosport

Live Streaming: Jio TV and Indian Football Team Official Facebook Page