Upcoming Indian Football Team Matches in 2021

by Chittu Shetty October 9, 2021

The Indian football team has experienced a slight dip in fortune recently. They played two friendly games against Nepal, drawing the first game 1-1 in Nepal, and beating the same opponents 2-1 in the return game.

Following these results, the team fell to 107 in the world rankings. However, they have the opportunity to improve this ranking depending on the results of their remaining games in 2021.

These games are all in the same tournament

The remaining games for India in 2021 are all in the SAFF (South Asian Football Federation) Championship

This year, the 13^th edition of the SAFF Championship is taking place at the National Football Stadium in Male, Maldives. The tournament was originally due to happen in Pakistan in 2020, then Bangladesh in September 2021. Both of these events were postponed due to COVID-19.

India is one of five teams taking part in this year’s tournament. The other teams participating are:

• Nepal
• Sri Lanka
• Bangladesh
• Maldives

Two other teams that normally participate are not taking part this time. They are Pakistan and Bhutan.

So far only two games have been played; Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka and Nepal vs the Maldives. Bangladesh and Nepal emerged winners.

India start their campaign against Bangladesh on October 4 with games against Sri Lanka, Nepal, and the Maldives following on October 7, 10, and 13, respectively.

The final of the tournament will be played between the top two teams from the round-robin stage, on October 16.

Fans of the Indian team will be hoping that they will be able to add a further SAFF win to their impressive tally of seven. However, the team is not the favourite in the betting.

Odds on the SAFF Championship with LeoVegas

Although India have been SAFF Champions most often, they are not favourites in the betting right now. Maldives and Nepal are fancied to do well in the championship according to odds from Leovegas.

Of course, this will not stop fans in India from backing their team. Leovegas is a reputable offshore sportsbook that can be used for this, you can find an Indian review about them here, waiting to take bets from Indian football fans. Fans may see value in placing their odds on a team that has so much experience in the competition, and so many wins. Odds can be placed on India winning any one of their games or strikers like Manvir Singh or Rahim Ali being the top scorer.

Of course, it’s also possible to place a bet on The Blue Tigers winning the tournament overall. Defending champions, and joint-favorites, Maldives have already dropped points so who knows what will happen? Indian fans may certainly feel that it’s worth backing their team to win.

Although, it may be worth waiting until India take to the pitch for the first time in the competition. This game should give a good indication of their current form and their chances of winning the SAFF Championship 2021.

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