It is a game of make-or-break for the Indian football team on Tuesday when Sunil Chettri and company take on Syria at Al-Bayt stadium.

India has to overcome the Eagles of Qatar in order to go to the AFC Asia Cup 2023 after losing both of their matches against Australia (0-2) and Uzbekistan (0-3).

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Even with a victory, the Indian football team’s progress to the AFC Asia Cup 2023 knockout stages is not guaranteed, as a goal differential of minus five after two games makes a big difference in circumstances where teams are level on points; therefore, India might have trouble finishing among the four third-place teams out of six.

The clubs’ most recent meeting took place during the 2019 Intercontinental Cup in Ahmedabad and ended in a 1-1 tie.

The West Asian rival hasn’t been able to overcome the Blue Tigers in a head-to-head battle up until now. In the previous six meetings, India has won three, lost two, and drawn one.

The last group matches (between groups E and F) are on Thursday, so the Indian squad will have to wait to find out their fate.

India’s captain, Sunil Chhetri, voiced faith in his side’s capacity to overcome Syria. Chhetri said his team can apply the knowledge they gained from playing Australia and Uzbekistan.

The Indian team would like to score early and establish a lead over their West Asian opponent, as the Syrian team has failed to score in their last two games.

More importantly, with just one shot on goal, Syria has had fewer shots on target than any other team in the competition. India has done better, at least in that aspect of the game.

The Indian team’s main problem in the AFC Asia Cup 2023 has been their defense line’s early or late exposure. Coach Stimac acknowledged the problem with the Indian team’s defensive form prior to the match against Syria.

According to the Blue Tigers’ squad news, midfielder Sahal Abdul Samad might be able to play against Syria; however, it’s unclear how well he’s feeling right now because he missed the first two games recovering from an injury.

The winger Lallianzuala Chhangte could not participate against Syria because he wasn’t fully well enough to play against Uzbekistan. In the Australian encounter, Chhangte made an appearance.

In the AFC Asia Cup 2023, Syria, on the other hand, is probably going to give India a tough time because the West Asian team has only managed one point from two games and has not yet scored a goal in their opening two encounters against Australia (0-1) and Uzbekistan (0-0), respectively.

India’s last Group B match against Syria is scheduled to take place at the Al-Bayt stadium in Al-Khor on January 23 at 5:00 p.m. The game will be streamed live on Jio Cinema.

Australia and Uzbekistan will play at Al-Jnaoub Stadium on the same day of the second Group B clash at 5:00 p.m.