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Lebanon and Maldives face off at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore, India on Wednesday in the 2023 SAFF Championship.
The Cedars are coming off the back of a stunning 4-1 victory over Bhutan on Sunday which maintained their perfect start to the competition.
Having left it late against Bangladesh, the Middle Eastern outfit came flying out of the blocks here and struck all four of their goals in the opening stanza.
Mohamed Sadek broke the deadlock in the 11th minute before Ali Haj doubled their advantage 12 minutes later. Khalil Bader added a third in the 35th minute while Mahdi Zein made it 4-0 minutes before halftime as Lebanon ran riot.
In the second half, the match cooled off as Aleksandar Ilić's side took their foot off the gas, and Bhutan managed to reduce the deficit late on. Chencho Gyeltshen, their all-time top-scorer and appearance-maker, pulled one back in the 79th minute in a minor consolation for the Dragon Boys.
Lebanon remained at the top of Group B with six points from a possible six after two games and with progression almost assured.
Maldives, who had began their campaign with a 2-0 defeat of Bhutan, went down 3-1 to Bangladesh on matchday two. Hamza Mohamed had put them in front after 18 minutes, but the Bengal Tigers clawed their way back.
In the 42nd minute, Rakib Hossain made it 1-1 before Tariq Raihan and Shekh Morsalin added two more goals after the break as the Red Snappers were exposed at the back.
The defeat condemned the side to third place in the standings with three points, as Bangladesh are ahead of them on goal difference.
Lebanon vs Maldives Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- Lebanon have a 100% win record against the Maldives, having beaten them on all four previous occasions.
- Lebanon beat Maldives in a pair of FIFA World Cup qualifiers in 2004 before repeating the trick in a pair of friendlies in 2008.
- Lebanon and Maldives meet after 15 years.
- Lebanon have won three of their last seven clashes, with two coming at the SAFF tournament itself.
- Lebanon's Khalil Bader has scored in both their SAFF games so far (one goal against Bangladesh and Maldives each).
Lebanon vs Maldives Prediction
Lebanon will be high on confidence after their last win. They've been impressive in the tournament thus far and we expect them to secure a narrow win against the Maldives.
Prediction: Lebanon 2-1 Maldives
Lebanon vs Maldives Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Lebanon to win
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: Yes
