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Lebanon and Vanuatu lock horns at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneshwar, India, in the 2023 Intercontinental Cup on Friday.
This is only the third edition of the tournament after the inaugural edition in 2018 followed by the second event a year later. India won the first one while North Korea lifted the title in the next.
The Cedars play for the first time since their 2-0 loss to Oman in March in an international friendly.
Issam Abdallah Al-Sabhi netted both goals for the Reds as Aleksandar Ilić's side suffered their fifth loss in a row and saw their winless run extend to seven games.
It's a packed month ahead for Lebanon with three games in the SAFF Championship after the Intercontinental Cup, where the Middle Eastern side are scheduled to play another three games at least.
Ilic has called up a 23-man squad for the cup, including experienced forward and captain Hassan Maatouk, who has 101 caps to his name and has scored 21 goals for the team.
Three players - Abdul Razzak Dakramanji, Maxime Aoun and Ali Markabawi - are in line to make their international debuts for Lebanon.
Like Lebanon, Vanuatu are also playing in the cup for the first time.
Their last bit of play saw them beat Fiji 2-1 in a friendly before going down 2-0 to the Solomon Islands just days later.
Lebanon vs Vanuatu Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- This will be the first official meeting between Lebanon and Vanuatu.
- Lebanon are the highest-ranked team in the cup at 99, while Vanuatu are down in 163th position.
- Lebanon are winless in their last seven games, even losing the last five and failing to score a single goal in any of them.
- Vanuatu have won just one of their last five games.
- When playing on neutral turf, Lebanon's last win came in December 2021 when the Cedars beat Sudan 1-0 in the 2021 FIFA Arab Cup.
Lebanon vs Vanuatu Prediction
Lebanon are ranked 64 places above Vanuatu but their form since 2022 has been terrible. Vanuatu are not considered a big side and they are not expected to pull off any great surprises.
Given the dearth of talent in both camps, this could be a subdued affair with neither team scoring in a goalless stalemate.
Prediction: Lebanon 0-0 Vanuatu
Lebanon vs Vanuatu Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: Draw
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: Under 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
