The Indian senior men’s football team is set to take on Vanuatu in the Intercontinental Cup at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. The Indian team is looking to strengthen its position for a spot in the tournament final after defeating Mongolia by 2-0 in the tournament opener. Meanwhile, Vanuatu faced a 1-3 loss to Lebanon. India’s head coach, Igor Stimac, is confident of his team’s win over Vanuatu. The humid conditions, which visiting teams are finding tough to deal with, could turn out to be an advantage for India. The weather does make a lot of impact on the pitch, but we need to be honest that we have an advantage in that sense because we’ve already trained here for more than three weeks, said Stimac.
With set pieces playing a significant role in the tournament, both teams will likely rely on them. Three out of the four goals in the matches on the opening matchday came from set-pieces. In the Vanuatu-Lebanon match, all three goals that Vanuatu conceded were from dead-ball situations. Similarly, India’s second goal against Mongolia was a result of a pin-point delivery from a corner by Anirudh Thapa. Consequently, set pieces could potentially impact the game’s outcome.
While the Indian senior men’s team is set to face Vanuatu for the first time, the India U-18 side toured Vanuatu in 2019, beating the hosts 1-0 en route to winning the OFC Youth Development Tournament in Port Vila. From the current Blue Tigers squad, only Akash Mishra, the left-back, travelled to the Southern Pacific nation with that batch.
Sharing his thoughts on the possible challenge posed by the Vanuatu side, Stimac said, We took everything (about Vanuatu) from the game they played against Lebanon. It’s obvious that they are a physical side. They have their strengths and weaknesses, so we need to get ready for such a game.
The article thus provides valuable information around the key aspects of the match, such as the humid conditions, set-pieces, and the teams’ past record against each other.
