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AFC World Cup 2014 Qualifier Second Round First Leg
UAE vs India
Venue: Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium, Al Ain City

Date: July 23, 09:30 PM (IST) 
(LIVE On Ten Action+)

India takes on the United Arab Emirates at Sheikh Khalifa International Stadium in Al Ain, Abu Dhabi on Saturday for the First Leg of the Second Round in AFC 2014 World Cup Qualifiers. India comes into the match with full confidence after the historic 2-1 win against Qatar on Sunday following the 1-1 draw against Maldives the week before, while the UAE comes into the qualifier after thrashing Lebanon 6-2 in their last practice match.

Sunday’s historic win will play in everybody’s minds when the India team faces UAE on Saturday and the boys will like to emulate their performance against Qatar at the Al Ain and come up with another surprising upset. Though UAE are the favorites, Armando Colaco’s boys are capable of springing another surprise considering their recent form.

Team India: The Underdogs

Looking back at the last five international matches India has played this year, the men in blue have remained undefeated, which is also a good fact to be taken into account. On the other hand the UAE have won just two of their last five international matches – The first was the 5-0 win over India last year while the second was the recent 6-2 defeat of Lebanon.

Colaco will look to start with the same team composition that started in the two friendlies. Subrata Paul will be the man to guard the goal while the ever dependent Gouramangi Singh will pair the U-23 captain Raju Gaikwad in the central defence. Debabrata and Samir Naik will man the left and right back positions respectively, occasionally overlapping Nabi and Dias in front of them. Threading the meticulous passes from the centre of the field would be Climax Lawrence and Mehtab Hussain while Chhetri and Jeje would be upfront, looking for an opportunity to penetrate the opposition’s goal line.

The best part of Colaco’s team is that everyone in the squad is fit and the coach has at his disposal good players on a strong bench who can come in anytime to provide some solidity or variations. Chhetri has hit the right form at the right time though his striking partner Jeje’s form is of little concern. However Jeje will look to bounce back in this match and come up with a superlative performance. A goal or two here for India would be crucial as away goals often becomes the deciding factor.

All in all, a strong performance is required from the whole team though the likes of Subrata, Chhetri and Gouramangi have to be at their best and lead from the front. Despite being the underdogs, the Blue Tigers have to be mentally strong to deny the Arabians a free walk in case they don’t start the game well.

United Arab Emirates: The Favorites

While for the UAE, they come into this match after thrashing Lebanon 7-2 in their practice game. Prior to that, Srecko Katanec’s side had an exposure trip to Austria where they faced some European oppositions and came back unbeaten. They showed their class against Lebanon and are more than ready to face the Indian challenge.

Ranked 37 places above India in the FIFA Rankings, the Middle East nation would have fond memories of thrashing India 5-0 last year still lingering in their mind adding to the home advantage they have. However they will also be aware of the fact that they were beaten by India 10 years ago in the same World Cup Qualifiers.

Though the UAE camp is quite confident of not only winning the first leg but also the tie over two legs, Katanec has issues concerning injuries to his players. The star of the team Ismail Matar, skipper Subait Khater and first choice goalkeeper Majid Nasser are certain to miss their home leg while left winger Abdulla Mosa is already ruled out.

Prediction as to who will emerge as the clear winner is difficult though the balance is tilted slightly in favour of the home team. However this game will be a real test for India as they will to prove that the win against Qatar wasn’t a fluke and that they are capable of beating anyone anywhere anytime.

Probable India Line-Up:

Subrata Pal (GK), Debabrata Roy, Gouramangi Singh, Raju Gaekwad, Samir Naik, Steven Dias, Mehtab Hussain, Climax Lawrence, Syed Nabi ,Sunil Chettri ,Jeje Lalpekhlua.

Last Three Matches:

UAE India

19-Jan-2011 UAE 0 – 3 Iran 17-Jul-2011 Qatar 1 – India 2

15-Jan-2011 UAE 0 – 1 Iraq 10-Jul-2011 Maldives 1 – India 1

11-Jan-2011 Korea DPR 0 – 0 UAE 25-Mar-2011 Turkmenistan 1 – India 1