The Indian football team will be back in action on the 18th of January, 2024 as the Sunil Chhetri led side will take the field against Uzbekistan in their 2nd Group B match of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 in Qatar.
In their opening match of the tournament, the Blue Tigers displayed a resilient fight against a regular FIFA World Cup side like Australia. Team India's solid defensive display for the first 50 minutes of the match frustrated the Aussie players until Jackson Irvine found the back of the net in the 50th minute of the match.
The Blue Tigers further conceded another goal at the 73rd minute of the match as substitute Rile McGree found Jordan Bos with a cross. But the Indian team's performance certainly many hearts. As for the Uzbekistan team, they played out a 0-0 draw against Syria in their opening match of the group, which in a kind of way has helped the Indian team. A draw in this match has certainly kept the Indian team's hopes high for a top two finish.
However, the Blue Tigers will have to be out on the ground with lot more emphasis in going forward. Head Coach Igor Stimac also stated after the match vs Australia that Team India's Asian Cup 2023 campaign does really start from the match against Uzbekistan.
A loss against the White Wolves will no way help the Indian team, as it will completely rule out India's chances of finishing in top 2 and then will have to aim for the 3rd position as best 4 third placed teams will also qualify for the next round.
As for the head-to-head between both the Indian football team and the Uzbekistan football team, both the teams have not played a competitive senior football match for more than 2 decades now. The last time that the two teams faced off was in the 2001.
India vs Uzbekistan Head-to-Head
Both India and Uzbekistan have faced off against each other a total of 6 times with the Indian team recording no wins in their favour. Uzbekistan have won 4 times while twice the match between both the teams have ended in draw.
The two draws for the Indian team came in the year 1997 and 1998, the first two matches between the two teams. Team India first played a 2-2 draw in 1997 in the Nehru Gold Cup and then a 0-0 draw in 1998 in an international friendly match.
India vs Uzbekistan FIFA Ranking
The Indian football team's official FIFA Ranking going into the match is 102 (excluding India's defeat vs Australia) while their opponent for the match, Uzbekistan football team's official FIFA Ranking is 68. This is according to the latest update that is before the Asian Cup tournament had begun.
India vs Uzbekistan AFC Asian Cup 2023 Date, Time and Venue
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 match between the Indian football team and the Uzbekistan football team will be played on the 18th of January at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium, the same venue as the match vs Australia. The match will kick-off at 8 P.M Indian Standard Time (IST).
India vs Uzbekistan Telecast and Live Streaming Details
The AFC Asian Cup 2023 match between the Indian football team and the Uzbekistan football team will be telecast live on Sports18 TV channel as well as free dish channel DD Sports. As for the digital viewers, the match will be live streaming on JioCinema app and website for free.
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