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The Indian national football team will face Asian champions Qatar on Thursday in a FIFA World Cup qualifier. The match will be held at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar.
Indian National Team preview
The Indian team under Igor Stimac started the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifiers on a positive note before losing steam in later matches.
The Blue Tigers started their campaign by taking the lead against Oman before bottling it to end up on the losing side. However, they registered a historic result against the reigning Asian champions Qatar when they held Felix Sanchez's men to a goalless draw.
The result gave rise to waves of hope and optimism, but it didn't last too long. India avoided embarrassing losses against Bangladesh and Afghanistan courtesy of last-minute equalizers and then lost against Oman once again. India are still winless in this campaign.
The Indian national team are in woeful form and are winless in their last 10 matches. Out of these, 5 were drawn and the rest ended in defeat. Their most recent outing ended in a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of the United Arab Emirates.
However, it was a friendly match and head coach Igor Stimac did not field his best XI. Sunil Chhetri and his men will be looking to secure at least a point against their powerful opponents.
Qatari National Team preview
Not much needs to be said about Qatar's footballing prowess. The FIFA World Cup 2022 hosts have already gained automatic qualification to the tournament and have nothing to lose. After beating Japan in the final of the AFC Asian Cup 2019, Qatar proceeded to participate in the Copa America the same year, racking up invaluable experience.
They sit atop Group E in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers campaign and are still unbeaten. They have scored 16 goals in 5 matches and conceded just once. Felix Sanchez's boys dropped points in just one match, which was against India.
In the last five matches, Qatar have lost just once against South Korea. They thumped Bangladesh in their most recent World Cup qualifier match by 5-0. Qatar have also been bolstered by the presence of Akram Afif, who missed the reverse fixture last time. Along with Afif, Almoez Ali will also be a big threat to the Indian defense.
India vs Qatar prediction
While Qatar are unbeaten in the campaign, India are winless. The Blue Tigers currently occupy the 4th place on the table, while Qatar sit on the top.
On their day, the Qatari team can be unstoppable. To get a positive result, India will have to be at their best and require inspiring performances from their key players. However, considering their lack of training time, even getting a point against Qatar seems beyond them right now.
Prediction: India 0 - 3 Qatar
