Hosts India takes on New Zealand in their final round-robin group stage match of the 2018 Intercontinental Cup at Mumbai Football Arena in Andheri on Thursday, June 7.
When is the match and how to watch it live in India
The match between the hosts and the visiting New Zealand team will start at 8 pm IST, 3:30 pm BST.
India vs New Zealand - Preview
India has all but sealed a place in the final of the quadrennial tournament. Stephen Constantine's men were labeled as the top title contenders and have lived up to the expectations so far.
The Blue Tigers have clinched two convincing wins from as many games and need just a draw on Thursday to secure a final spot. They began their campaign by crushing a weak Chinese Taipei unit 5-0 last Friday. This was followed by another win in a hard-fought battle against Kenya 3-0 on a rainy Monday evening.
Chhetri has been in imperious form in the quadrangular tournament, scoring seven goals in two matches. The India captain scored a hat-trick against Chinese Taipei before netting a brace in his 100th international outing on Monday.
The Bengaluru FC skipper, apart from getting the job done on the field, helped bring thousands of fans to the stadium with a heartfelt message after a disappointing turnout for the match against Chinese Taipei.
Following Chhetri's message, which went viral on social media, close to 10,000 fans braved the Mumbai rains on Monday evening and witnessed the skipper creating history.
India is expected to have a good support on Thursday as well as tickets for the New Zealand tie have already sold out.
Facing India a big challenge: New Zealand coach
On the other hand, New Zealand is heading into the tie on the back of a close win over Chinese Taipei on Tuesday. The All Whites need nothing less than a win against India to keep their chances of reaching the final alive. They are tied on points (3) with third-placed Kenya, who will face Chinese Taipei on Friday, June 8.
Meanwhile, New Zealand coach Fritz Schmid conceded his side is up for a big challenge against the high-flying hosts.
"We have to do everything to recover quickly. Unfortunately, the calendar has given us fewer days and we face the hosts on the last day, which is difficult. We saw India in the first two games and it will be a big challenge," Schmid told reporters after their win over Chinese Taipei.
Thank you Mumbai for turning out in numbers. Let's get the job done against @NZ_Football. #INDvNZL #WeAreIndia #BackTheBlue #AsianDream pic.twitter.com/yluWd5FcyU
— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) June 7, 2018
With rains lashing the Western Indian city over the last few days, Thursday's game could be played in damp conditions. With his team starting as firm favourites yet again, Constantine would be looking to rest some of his key players, including Chhetri, Sandesh Jhingan among others against New Zealand, the lowest-ranked side (133) in the tournament.
Intercontinental Cup 2018 - Global live stream
New Zealand: TV - Sky Sport 2, Live stream: Sky Go.
