India were on a ten-match winning streak but a draw against St Kitts and Nevis in the recently-concluded tri nation football tournament in Mumbai, India, dashed their hopes. India want to get back on track when the Blue Tigers take on Macau in a crunch clash.
The AFC Asian Cup qualifiers are set to resume after a long break. Stephen Constantine's side won an away match against Myanmar and then, a morale-boosting 1-0 victory against the Kyrgyz Republic at Bengaluru.
The table toppers from Group A of the tournament are looking forward to another win. The top two sides from each of the six groups seal a berth at the AFC Asian Cup 2019 at the UAE and India have a massive chance to do it again.
India made three appearances in the prestigious Asian football competition so far, with their best result coming in 1964 when they became the runners-up.
Macau are at the bottom of the table after having lost both their matches in the ongoing tournament but India need to be wary of a possible resurgence from the home side on Tuesday.
Captain Sunil Chhetri said: "We are a confident group. We are confident of our abilities. But we are not judging Macau by what happened to them in their last two matches. It's a fresh match, and we start afresh."
With the previous national team match clashing with Bengaluru FC's AFC Cup 1st leg tie against DPR Korea's April 25 Sports Club, the likes of Chhetri, Udanta and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu were unavailable.
This time, however, the stars are back to the national camp and are ready to deliver their best.
FIFA rankings
- India: 97
- Macau: 183
Match schedule
- Date: September 5
- Time: 4:45 pm IST
- Venue: Estádio Campo Desportivo in Taipa, Macau
Where to watch live (India)
TV : Star Sports 1/HD.
Live streaming : Hotstar , Jio TV
Live score : Twitter