Indian Football
Rohan Dutt
Indian National Football Team are set to battle Malaysia National Football Team in an international friendly fixture during the international break in November. The FIFA International Friendly match between India and Malaysia will be played on November 18, at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana.
Harimau Malaya will head into the fixture after suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat against New Zealand in their last game. Meanwhile, the Blue Tigers, adapting to Manolo Marquez’s strategies, will aim for their first win of the year after a promising 1-1 draw against Vietnam in their previous fixture. The match promises to be a closely-matched contest, with both teams looking to claim all three points.
Malaysia is currently ranked 133rd in the FIFA men’s rankings, sitting eight spots below India, which holds the 125th position. They have had a topsy-turvy trajectory in their rankings this year.
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The Malayan Tigers started the year ranked 132nd in the February list, but they dropped to 138th position in the April rankings, marking their lowest point of the year. They bounced back with a draw against Kyrgyzstan and a win against Chinese Taipei, climbing three spots to 135th in the June rankings.
Malaysia Football Team climbed one more spot to 134th in the July rankings. The Asian side then impressed with back-to-back wins against the Philippines and Lebanon, moving up to 132nd in the updated rankings in September, once again matching their highest ranking of the year.
However, the upset against New Zealand has caused a setback, dropping them to 133rd in the current rankings. The Harimau Malaya are set to face India and Laos in November, aiming to improve their position in the rankings, and another consecutive victory could possibly move them up to their highest ranking of the year.
Malaysia will look to grab a victory against India who are struggling to get their first win of 2024. The Harimau Malaya side will have a great opportunity to improve their rank if they can grab a win against Manolo Marquez’s men.
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