Both sides were thrashed 3-0 by Vietnam in their last outings, with the hosts beaten in a friendly back in September last year, while Chinthe lost out in the AFF Championship in January 2023.
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India is set to host a tri-nation tournament featuring Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic from March 22 in Imphal. The opening match of the tournament will see the hosts taking on Myanmar at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium. The tournament marks the beginning of a crucial period for the Blue Tigers as they prepare for the AFC Asian Cup later next year. Both sides were thrashed 3-0 by Vietnam in their last outings, with the hosts beaten in a friendly back in September last year, while Chinthe lost out in the AFF Championship in January 2023.
Head Coach @stimac_igor and goalkeeper @GurpreetGK expressed excitement at playing Myanmar in Imphal in the #HeroTriNation opener tomorrow! WE CAN’T WAIT TO SEE YOU THERE #BlueTigers FANS!!! #BackTheBlue 💙 #IndianFootball ⚽
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) March 21, 2023
India qualified for the AFC Asian Cup courtesy of winning all three of their games in the third round qualification back in June last year. Igor Stimac’s side got the better of Cambodia (2-0), Afghanista (2-1) and Hong Kong (4-0) to secure a place in the finals of the continental tournament. But the Blu Tigers are winless in their last two friendlies, against Singapore (1-1) and Vietnam (3-0). Ashique Kuruniyan scored the equaliser for India against Singapore in Vietnam in September last year. With the Indian Super League (ISL) season now over, the players can now focus on rediscovering their mojo for the national team. The team picked up by the Croatian tactician includes both experienced players and young talent and these games will be more about testing out new strategies and giving minutes to newer players. Meanwhile, the prospect of gaining FIFA points and jumping up the World Ranking is at stake, therefore nothing less than a victory against a team ranked 53 places below them in the FIFA rankings will satisfy the coach and the Indian fans.
Myanmar, on the other hand, are winless in their last 13 games across all competitions, while losing 11 of those matches. Therefore Chinthe don’t really have much to lose in Wednesday’s game against a team well ahead of them in the FIFA rankings. Since Michael Feichtenbeiner’s side won’t have any burden of expectations, they could operate more freely and use that unpredictability to their advantage. On a positive note, Myanmar’s last meeting with India ended in a 2-2 draw, back in 2017. Sunil Chhetri canceled out Nain Yan’s first-minute opener, before ko Ko Kyaw resotred Myanmar’s lead in the 19th-minute, and then Jeje Lalpekhlua made the score 2-2, 21 minutes from time.
India boss Stimac has announced a 23-man squad for the upcoming two friendlies. Meanwhile the recently concluded ISL’s top Indian goal-scorer Sivasakthi Narayanan and Glan Martins suffered injuries in the final of the ISL on Saturday, and have been replaced with Pritam Kotal and Naorem Mahesh Singh. 38-year-old talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri is once again expected to captain the side.
India Probable Lineup: Gurpreet Sandhu, Roshan Singh, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhinghan, Akash Mishra, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Jeakson Singh, Suresh Singh, Mohammad Yasir, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh
Myanmar Probable Lineup: Kyaw Zin Phyo, Hein Phyo Win, Ye Min Thu, Thina Htet Aung, Nanda Kyaw, Lwin Moe Aung, Wai Lin Aung, Kyaw Min oo, Aung Kaung Mann, Hein Htet Aung, Aung Thu.
India
| Opponents | Score |
| Vietnam | 3-0 (L) |
| Singapore | 1-1 (D) |
| Hong Kong | 4-0 (W) |
| Afghanistan | 1-2 (W) |
| Cambodia | 2-0 (W) |
Myanmar
| Opponents | Score |
| Vietnam | 3-0 (L) |
| Laos | 2-2 (D) |
| Singapore | 3-2 (L) |
| Malaysia | 0-1 (L) |
| Thailand | 6-0 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| India draw Myanmar | 2-2 |
| India beat Myanmar | 0-1 |
| Myanmar beat India | 1-0 |
| India beat Myanmar | 1-0 |
| India beat Myanmar | 1-0 |
The International friendly between India and Myanmar will take place at Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal on Wednesday at 6:00 pm IST.
| India vs Myanmar | Key Details |
| Date | Match 22 |
| Venue | Khuman Lampak Main Stadium |
| Kickoff time in India | 6:00 pm |
| Kickoff time in Myanmar | 7:00 pm |
The live telecast of the international friendly match between India and Myanmar cane be seen of Star Sports network in India. Besides the fans can live stream through Hotstar VIP. Meanwhile, those in Myanmar can catch the live action via Skynet Myanmar.
