SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan Match Preview, Head to Head records, and Predicted Line-ups

After a successful Hero Intercontinental Cup Campaign where India emerged as the champions for a record second time, the focus now shifts to the 2023 SAFF Championship. The Blue Tigers will be keen to hit the ground running and continue their momentum now in Bengaluru. They will face their arch-rivals and neighbours Pakistan at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. Both sides will come up against each other after a very long time with the last fixture dating back to September 2018.

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SAFF Championship 2023: India vs Pakistan Match Preview

Match Details

• Match: India vs Pakistan (SAFF Championship 2023)
• Date & Time: 21.06.2023 - 7:30 P.M. (IST)
• Venue: Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru
• Where to watch: FanCode

India vs Pakistan: Match Preview

India come into the tournament on the back of a very good run of form which includes a successful Hero Intercontinental Cup campaign. The Blue Tigers will be looking to add more wins and goals to their tally but will have to be careful against Pakistan. A match against Pakistan always unites the nation and is a must-win no matter what. The Blue Tigers would want to improve their already good-looking head-to-head matchup against Pakistan.

The scenario is not different for Pakistan either. It's more than just about three points, it's about fighting for pride and so much more. Although Pakistan is coming into the tournament after a very disappointing 4-Nation Cup tournament in Mauritius where they ended up on the losing side in all three matches.

India vs Pakistan: Head to Head

The two neighbouring countries have played 14 matches against each other. India have dominated the head-to-head proceedings and have 10 victories to their name. Meanwhile, Pakistan have won just twice while two other matches have ended in draws between the two sides.

• Games played: 26
• India wins: 13
• Draws:10
• Pakistan wins: 3

India and Pakistan last played a match against each other in September 2018 in the semifinal of the 12th edition of the SAFF Cup in Dhaka. The Blue Tigers had won that match 3-1 thanks to a brace of goals from Manvir Singh but the Igor Stimac-led side ended up losing the final against Maldives 1-2.

SAFF Championship 2023

India vs Pakistan: Injury & Team News

Ishan Pandita has left the national team setup due to an injury. Apart from him, India are expected to have a fully fit squad. And for Pakistan too, there are no injury concerns as such.

India vs Pakistan: Predicted Lineups

India(4-2-3-1):

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Nikhil Poojary, Anwar Ali, Sandesh Jhingan, Akash Mishra, Jeakson Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Sunil Chhetri, Naorem Mahesh Singh

Pakistan(4-4-2):

Yousuf Butt (GK), Mamoon Moosa Khan, Muhammad Sufyan Asif, Abdullah Iqbal, Ali Khan Niazi, Otis Khan, Ali UzairMahmood, Easah Suliman, Rahis Nabi, Harun Hamid, Hassan Bashir