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The Blue Tigers will take on Uzbekistan (UZK) in their second group game of the AFC Asian Cup at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Al Rayyan on Thursday, January 18.
Led by Sunil Chhetri, Team India (IND) are coming into this contest against Uzbekistan on the back of a 0-2 defeat against Australia. Despite keeping the opposition silent for the first half, they couldn’t make an impact in the latter half as India conceded two goals. They would be hitting the drawing board to fill the chinks in their armor and get back to winning ways.
On the other hand, Uzbekistan settled for a 0-0 stalemate against Syria in their first AFC Asian Cup encounter. Notably, they are coming into this game without losing a match in their past five clashes, which the Chhetri-led side would be wary of. They would be eyeing their first goal of the campaign and put the opposition on the backfoot.
On that note, let’s take a look at the three players you can pick as captain or vice-captain for the IND vs UZK AFC Asian Cup 2024 Match.
#3 Sunil Chhetri (IND) - 9 credits
Hailed as India's greatest footballer, Sunil Chhetri, the Indian skipper, will face a tough challenge from the opposition goalkeeper Utkir Yusupov, who is known for his goal-stopping abilities.
With 93 goals in 146 national appearances, Chhetri would be putting his best foot forward in this game and aim to score the team’s first goal of the campaign.
#2 Oston Urunov (UZK) - 7.5 credits
Oston Urunov has netted five times in 21 national appearances. The attacking striker failed to find the net in the game against Syria and would be hoping to make a strong comeback.
The attacking midfielder has bagged 12 goals in 27 games for his club Navbahor Namangan since 2023 and he's definitely one of the players to watch out for in this game. He scored one goal and assisted for one against Turkmenistan in the World Cup Qualifiers in November.
#1 Jaloliddin Masharipov (UZK) - 8.5 credits
Uzbekistan midfielder Jaloliddin Masharipov has netted on 10 instances in 54 games for his national team. Left winger Masharipov and attacking striker Oston Urunov's partnership would prove to be a threat for the opposition in this game.
Indian defenders Nikhil Poojary and Sandesh Jhingan should be on their toes to stop this duo from netting. Without an iota of doubt, Masharipov enters this game as a decent multiplier choice.
