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India vs Ghana, FIFA U17 World Cup
Time and venue: 8 PM; Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi
Where to Watch: Sony Network and DD Sports
Live Streaming: Sony LIV
Live updates: India vs Ghana, Live Updates
A 1-2 loss against Colombia after putting up a strong fight and winning the hearts of the fans, India will be out to face African powerhouses Ghana in Group A of the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on Wednesday.
After suffering a heavy defeat against the USA and a narrow reverse against Colombia, a win against Ghana is a must if India want to see any chance of progressing through to the next round. With no points in the bag and a very high negative goal difference, India lie at the bottom of group A, and progress to the knockouts is very difficult for India, although not impossible.
Either a top-two finish or finishing as one among the four best third-placed teams will ensure qualification into the Round of 16 for India.
If India have to progress to the Round of 16, they have to beat Ghana at least by three goals and hope that the USA beat Colombia by at least 2 goals. Only the four best third-placed teams will get progression, and India will have to have a decent goal difference as three points might not be enough to get them through.
Ghana, on the other hand, won their first match against Colombia with the help of a solitary goal from their star striker Ibrahim Sadiq and fell to the USA 1-0 in the second match. For Ghana, a win is important to get automatic qualification to the Round of 16.
Anwar Ali could miss the match against Ghana with an injury, and that would mean Jithendra Singh, who sat on the bench against Colombia, will get back into starting 11. Losing Ali will be a big blow to India as he has been the nucleus of Indian defence throughout the tournament.
But there is no official confirmation on the status of the injury and let us hope that Ali will recover before the game. India will again depend on Dheeraj Singh who has been the find of the tournament so far. Dheeraj has had a few flying performances in front of goal with some eye-catching saves in the tournament. Star players Komal Thatal and Aniket Jadhav are expected to return to the starting lineup after missing out last time out.
Ghana will depend on their star striker Eric Ayiah and winger Ibrahim to exploit the weakness in Indian defense. In defence, Ghana have their rock-solid captain Gideon Mensah and goalkeeper Ibrahim Danlad who's had a wonderful tournament so far. Defender Abdul Yusif, who got a knock against the USA, is expected to sit out against India.
Author's Prediction:
It will take a miracle for India to get an automatic qualification and will have to win by a big margin to get through to the Round of 16 by being among the best 3rd place teams. After having a stunning performance against Colombia, India will be hoping to bag their first win in the FIFA U17 World Cup. India will hope that their 12th man, the fans, will once again be behind the team and help them produce another wonderful performance.
