The Blue Tigers saw their impressive 11 game unbeaten run come to an end in the Kings Cup last month and are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Lebanon.
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India will be bidding to get back to winning ways in the international circuit when they take on Malaysia at Bukit Jalil Stadium in Kuala Lampur on Friday evening. The Blue Tigers saw their impressive 11 game unbeaten run come to an end in the Kings Cup last month and are heading into the match on the back of a narrow 1-0 defeat to Lebanon in the same competition. The hosts, meanwhile, played out a 1-1 draw away to China in a friendly on September 9 last time out. Friday’s fixture will be the first encounter between these two Asian sides in more than a decade, with the previous clash ending 3-2 in favour of the visitors way back in 2011 thanks to Sunil Chhetri’s brace and one goal from Jej Lalpekhlua.
𝗕𝗔𝗖𝗞 𝗜𝗡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗠𝗘𝗥𝗗𝗘𝗞𝗔 𝗔𝗙𝗧𝗘𝗥 𝟮𝟮 𝗬𝗘𝗔𝗥𝗦! 🇮🇳🙌
The #BlueTigers 🐯 take on hosts Malaysia 🇲🇾 in Kuala Lumpur tonight ⚡
🕡 18:30 IST
🏟️ Bukit Jalil Stadium
📺 @EurosportIN & Indian Football Facebook#MASIND ⚔️ #PestabolaMerdeka2023 🏆 #IndianFootball ⚽ pic.twitter.com/0zua5UxJrI— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) October 13, 2023
India went into the Kings Cup in Thailand on the back of SAFF Championship triumph on home soil, defeating Kuwait 5-4 on penalties in the final after both sides were locked on 1-1 at the end of 120 minutes of play. The Blue Tigers have been playing an entertaining brand of football in the last couple of months and their recent 11-game unbeaten run is a testament to the teams growth under head coach Igor Stimac. Although India, who are ranked 99th in the world, lost out to Iraq in the Kings Cup semi-final fixture on September 7, the Croatian tactician would be pleased with his teams performance against a side who are ranked 29 places above them. The Blues Tigers forced the game into penalties thanks to Mahesh Singh’s early opener and an own goal from Jala Hachim, but the Lions of Mesopotamia prevailed 5-4 in the tier breaker. Three days later, the South Asian outfit were edged out by Lenbanon 1-0 in the third place playoff match.
Malaysia, on the other hand, have been playing non-competitive games exclusively since January as they prepare for World Cup qualification and Asian Cup. Harimau Malaya played two friendlies in September, both ending in draws. Kim Pan-gon’s men came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw against Syria on September 6 thanks to second-half efforts from Muhammad Abdul Rashid and Darren Lok. Three days later, Malaysia once again shared the spoils, this time against China in Chengdu. Harimau Malaya took the lead through Faisal Halim’s opener inside the opening 11 minutes, but the hosts leveled the score through Lianming Lin’s 36th-minute effort. Meanwhile, the result extended their unbeaten run to six friendlies, recording four wins in the process.
Malaysia probable starting lineup: Hazmi, Davies, Tan, Cools, Corbin-Ong, Endrick, Gan, Halim, Josue, Rashid, Lok
India probable starting lineup: Sandhu, Poojari, Jhingan, Ali, Mishra, Suresh, Thapa, Chhangte, Samad, Mahesh; Chhetri
Malaysia
| Opponents | Score |
| China | 1-1 (D) |
| Syria | 2-2 (D) |
| Papua New Guinea | 10-0 (W) |
| Solomon Islands | 4-1 (W) |
| Hong Kong | 2-0 (W) |
India
| Opponents | Score |
| Lebanon | 1-0 (L) |
| Iraq | 3-2 (L) |
| Kuwait | 1-2 (W) |
| Lebanon | 0-1 (W) |
| Kuwait | 1-1 (D) |
| Last 4 match-results | Score |
| India beat Malaysia | 3-2 |
| India draw Malaysia | 1-1 |
| India draw Malaysia | 1-1 |
| India draw Malaysia | 0-0 |
The international friendly between Malaysia and India will take place at Bukit Jalil Stadium on Friday at 6:30 pm IST.
| Malaysia vs India | Key Details |
| Date | October 13 |
| Venue | Burkit Jalil Stadium |
| Kickoff time in Malaysia | 9:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in India | 6:30 pm |
Football fans in India can catch the live action via Eurosport. Meanwhile, those in Malaysia can watch the match on Astro Go network.
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