7.21 pm: Bangladesh coach Jamie Day on playing at YBK: “My boys got to enjoy the occasion. If we take too much pressure, it can get to us.”
7.14 pm: With ace defender Sandesh Jhingan missing out due to a long-term injury, coach Stimac has gone with the experienced Anas Edathodika, who last featured for India at the AFC Asian Cup instead of youngster Narender Gehlot. The right move?
7.03 pm: Reminder of the head-to-head, current form and rankings for the two sides:
Form Guide
India - L-L-D-L-D
Bangladesh - W-D-L-W-L
Ranking
India: 104
Bangladesh: 187
H2H
| Team | Wins | Draws | Losses |
|---|---|---|---|
| India | 17 | 10 | 5 |
| Bangladesh | 5 | 10 | 10 |
6.56 pm: No changes to the Bangladesh XI that faced Qatar...
GK: Ashraful Rana
DEF: Raihan Hasan, Riyadul Hasan, Rahmat Mia, Yeasin Khan
MID: Jamal Bhuyan, Mohammad Ibrahim, Sohel Rana, Biplo Ahmed, Saad Uddin
FWD: Mohammad Ziban
6.48 pm: The Indian line-up is in. An attacking one, at that. What do you make of it? Let us know on Twitter, tagging @thefield_in.
6.45 pm: Here’s what Bangladesh coach Jamie Day said ahead of the match:
“I am surely India are going to attack a lot more than they did against Qatar, so defensively we have to make sure that we don’t concede goals.
“The ranking does affect, they are up there because they have won games for a reason. We have worked hard recently but we are also making efforts to improve our ranking because going forward it will give us an advantage. The way we played against Qatar, if we play in a similar way, we have a good chance to beat them. The aim is to get some point from this game.”
6.45 pm: No doubt, India are favourites for this match but how they fare tonight will depend a lot on how they handle that tag and how the forwards fare. Preview by our football correspondent Nicolai Nayak here.
6.32 pm: The team is at the venue... less than an hour to go for the kick-off.
6.25 pm: Last month, Blue Tigers achieved one of the biggest results in Indian football, arguably in a decade - snatching a point from Asian champions Qatar back in their own den. Though just a draw, it gave India a reason to dream big.
6.20 pm: Both teams are without a win in their campaign so far while Bangladesh are still searching for their first point. Against Afghanistan, Bangladesh were held defeated 0-1 despite having plenty of possession. On October 10, at home against Qatar, the red and greens impressed despite going down 2-0. They will take heart from the performance going into this match against India in Kolkata.
6.10 pm: In the previous 32 matches between the two sides, India have won on 17 occasions, with Bangladesh winning 5 while 10 matches have been drawn. There is a significant gap between the two neighbouring countries on the Fifa rankings as well, with India at 104 and Bangladesh placed 187.
6.00 pm: Hello all and welcome to our live coverage of India vs Bangladesh as the Blue Tigers return to Kolkata!
Buoyed by their hard-fought goalless draw against Asian champions Qatar, India would be looking to register their first win in the Fifa World Cup qualifiers (2022) when they take on Bangladesh in a Group E second-round match at the Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata on Tuesday.
India put a gritty performance against an attacking Qatar side, to hold the reigning continental champions to a goalless draw and earn their first point of the qualifiers after suffering a heartbreaking loss in the opening match against Oman at home.
With Kolkata set to host the senior national men’s team after a gap of nine years, the euphoria around the match has been immense according to reports and a packed house is expected, giving the Igor Stimac-coached side a perfect stage to grab three points and keep their World Cup hopes alive.
The absence of defender, Sandesh Jhingan due to an ACL tear on his left knee is a big blow to the hosts. But the return of talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri after missing the last game should lift the team’s spirit.
Against Oman, Chhetri scored his 72nd international goal as India put up a dominating first-half display only to go down 1-2 after conceding late goals in their World Cup qualifier against Oman in Guwahati.
But the Qatar draw has breathed life back into their campaign, making this Bangladesh clash a must-win encounter.