Myanmar Vs India Preview

by Prasad bhutkar March 28, 2017

Mumbai: Myanmar and India start their campaign in Group A of the 2019 AFC Asian Cup qualification, knowing that one of these two teams could eventually be competing with Kyrgyzstan for the two spots for UAE in a group of four that also includes Macau. As Stephen Constantine and his boys gear up for a crucial 2019 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup qualifier against Myanmar, the well-wishers of The Blue Tigers will definitely be a mix of excitement and nervousness

Myanmar is ranked 172nd in the world, but their performances over the last three years do not justify that ranking. Under Serbian coach Radojko Avramovic, they won the four-nation Peace Cup in the Philippines in 2014, and under his successor Gerd Zeise, they made history last year by qualifying for the AFF (Asian Football Federation) Cup semi-finals for the first time in 2016, before losing to eventual champions Thailand.

India are coming into the Asian Cup qualifying campaign on the back of a disappointing one for the 2018 World Cup, but the backend of that competition left them with some valuable momentum, first with a home win over Guam and then wins across the two legs of the playoff against Laos, a spell that has seen them win their last four matches with 14 goals scored across them. It is a young Indian team, and they appear to be a fitter lot than past squads, a virtue that will be vital to beat a team whose most recent result saw them overturn a 1-0 deficit to record an impressive 3-1 win away to AFF Cup runners-up Indonesia on March 21.

Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)

Myanmar: WLLWW

India: WWWWL

In the spotlight

Among Myanmar players who scored in the victory over Indonesia was the experienced Kyaw Ko Ko, who effectively scored his first goal for his country in about a year and a half. The Yangon United striker has been a regular for the national team since his debut at the AFC Challenge Cup semi-finals in 2010 against North Korea, but for Myanmar’s maiden run to the AFF Cup semi-finals last year. Only two players in the Myanmar squad have more than Ko’s 39 caps, and his role as leader of the attacking line will be hugely critical to Myanmar’s fortunes right through the qualifying campaign.

Stephen Constantine’s India have won 10 out of 12 matches played since November 2015 — though that number includes an unofficial friendly against Bhutan — and one player who has been a near-regular across all of them is Rowllin Borges. Borges occupies the central midfielder’s role in Constantine’s preferred 4-3-3 combination, and his steady influence has enabled India to win eight of the 10 matches he has featured in that same period. While India’s defence looked especially shaky in the first half against Cambodia, Borges was able to maintain greater control in the second half, and will again have a critical role to play to keep things quiet.

Let’s give you some Stats and trivia

• India is ranked 132nd in the world, 40 places ahead of Myanmar.
• India lead the head-to-head between the two countries 10-9 in their 24 meetings, though Myanmar has scored 46 goals to India’s 36. This number includes four pre-Olympic matches, which are traditionally played by Under-23 teams.
• Myanmar beat India 1-0 the last time they met, during the 2014 AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers in Yangon in March 2013.
• India hasn’t beaten Myanmar in their own backyard since October 1953, when India prevailed 4-2 in a Quadrangular tournament held in Rangoon (now Yangon).

There is a new wave of positivity about this Indian side and while the sport is gaining a lot of popularity since the past few years, I hope we all will #BackTheBlues with full support tomorrow.

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