The latest instalment of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 qualifiers begins on Tuesday 5th September, with the Indian national team taking on Macau in their Group A tie at Macau’s Olympic Complex Stadium.
India top Group A having previously beaten Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic by solitary goals in their qualifier journey so far this year and are unbeaten in their last 10 matches.
On the other hand Macau have yet to find the net in Group A of this championship and were only invited to take part in the qualifying rounds after the withdrawal of Guam and Kuwait freed up spots in the draw for the top two finishers from last year’s AFC Solidarity Cup.
Team coach Stephen Constantine has been in charge of the Indian national side for almost thirty months and taken them from 173 to 96 in the FIFA Rankings, something no other coach has ever managed. Follow our betting tips here.
The team will be boosted with the return of Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Gurpreet Sandhu and Constantine appeared calm and cautious during a press conference ahead of the match, despite constant high winds and rain that have descended on Macau since the squad have arrived.
“There is no problem… we had a good session yesterday, the hotel we’re in is okay. Looking forward to practicing on the main pitch tonight… we’re in a good situation at the moment, we’re top of the group.
“We have to be focused and we have to work very hard if we want to get the results that we want… the weather reminds me of Bangalore. We have rain in India, so the players are used to it.”
This will be the first meeting between the two countries in international football and the teams will face each other once again next month.
If India were to achieve a victory in both fixtures, it would ensure a birth in the finals, with two games against Myanmar and Kyrgyzstan remaining.
Follow all our footy predictions here.
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