Preview: Maldives v India

Kathmandu, NEPAL – Maldives will play against six time champions India in the semi final of the 8th SAFF Championship tomorrow. Maldives, who has scored 18 goals in just two games, has an uphill task to overcome an Indian team who are always the top favorite in this tournament. It is also interesting to know both Maldives and India are the only two sides that have played in the semi finals of all SAFF Championships.

Maldives vs India

SAFF Championship 2013

Venue: Dashrath Rangasala Stadium, Kathmandu

Kick off: 1830 hours (1745 hours in Maldives time)

TEAM NEWS

Maldives needs revenge from India when they beat Maldives by penalties in the 2009 edition and in 2011 India beat the Maldives in the semi final by 3-1.

Maldives, a country with a population of 300,000 will play against a country with a population of over one billion people have the caliber to beat them and they have shown that in the final of 2008 SAFF Championship. Maldives won the first ever goal medal in 2008 after beating India by 1-0.

Maldives is yet to overcome India in a SAFF championship semi final, losing in all three times they met in 1999, 2005, 2011; these are the only three edidtions where Maldives failed to reach the final.

MATCH PREVIEW

Maldives coach Istvan Urbanyi has said that many people are saying that this is the weakest Indian team ever participated in the SAFF Championship and he don’t agree with that.

“The other thing is people just started talking about this is the weakest India team ever in this tournament. But I don’t agree on that. This is the Indian national team right now and they have scored late goals. But they played strong and competitive matches.”

“Even the last game against Nepal they have been dominating the whole game and its going to be a tough game and I agree that its big challenge for us”

HEAD TO HEAD

Maldives has won just 3 games of their 12 games in different tournaments and friendly matches so far.

Maldives - Win: 3, Lost: 6, Draw: 3

Madlives 2 – 2 India, Kathmandu, Nepal 1997

Madlives 1 – 5 India, Kathmandu, Nepal 1997

Maldives 1 – 2 India, Goa, India 1999

Maldives 1 – 0 India, Male’ 2000 (Golden Jubilee Tournament)

Maldives 0 – 1 India, Karachi, Pakistan 2005

Maldives 1 – 2 India, Doha, Qatar 2006

Maldives 0 – 1 India, Male’, Maldives 2008

Maldives 1 – 0 India, Colombo, Sri Lanka 2008

Maldives 2 – 0 India, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009

Maldives 0 – 0 India, Dhaka, Bangladesh 2009 (Indi won on penalties)

Maldives 1 – 3 India, New Delhi, India 2011

Maldives 0 – 0 India, Male, Maldives 2011 (Friendly)

PROBABLE LINE UP - MALDIVES

Imran Mohamed (GK), Akram Abdul Ghani, Shafiu Ahmed, Mohamed Sifan (Kudattey), Mohamed Rasheed (Hokey), Mohamed Arif (Bakaa), Rilwan Waheed, Asadhulla Abdulla, Ahmed Niyaz, Ali Ashfaq, Mohamed Umair.