AUCKLAND, INDIA: A lot of hype has surrounded the upcoming New Zealand vs India football match at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland on Thursday, November 12. This is the first time that India have travelled to play New Zealand, a country that is known as Aotearoa in the local Māori language.
While the Indians have faced New Zealand once before, in the 2018 Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, they do not enjoy a positive record. They lost that fixture 1-2, but went on to win the tournament. The home team, also known as the All Whites, are a World Cup-playing nation and are ranked 88th by FIFA, exactly 50 spots above India, who are 138th.
In this article, we preview the first-ever New Zealand vs India match in New Zealand.
What are New Zealand’s strengths?
New Zealand are renowned for their physical capabilities and are expected to run India ragged with their ball possession skills. They come into this clash directly from a friendly they played against Japan in October, where they were beaten 1-2. The All Whites did not have a spectacular showing at the FIFA World Cup this year, losing two of the three games they played, drawing the other with Iran.
In their last World Cup game, New Zealand were beaten 1-5 by Belgium, but that did not restrict them from expressing their full potential both on and off the ball. India need to be wary of the resolute midfield that the All Whites use, in which Alex Rufer plays a critical role in cutting passes off. Against Belgium, they essentially played with a three-man defence, with one fullback asked to drive up.
New Zealand vs India predicted lineup for the home team (3-4-2-1): Paulsen; Bindon, Pijnaker, Surman; Elliot, Rufer, McCowatt, Sheridan; Bayliss, Singh; Wood.
What is expected from India?
The visiting side have experimented a lot with their squad ahead of New Zealand vs India, with several senior players, including goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, left out. Coach Khalid Jamil, whose blueprint includes giving as many opportunities to youngsters as possible, has recalled just 12 players from the squad that took on Panama, Brazil and Uruguay in the historic September-October international window.
India have depended heavily on their midfield engine of Apuia and Anirudh Thapa, but with the former out injured, the bulk of doing the heavy lifting will rest on the latter, who made history by scoring against Uruguay. In attack, Ryan Williams will be tasked with being at the receiving end of long balls. India will use a mid-to-low defensive block, while they lay the ground for making counter-attacking runs.
New Zealand vs India predicted lineup for the visiting team (4-4-2): Kaith; Mishra, Varghese, Pramveer, Mehtab; Ashique, Thapa, Fanai, Jithin; Manvir, Williams.
New Zealand vs India match prediction
New Zealand are ranked 50 spots above India in the FIFA rankings and have the experience of playing in three World Cups. Their squad has the prolific Chris Wood, who plies his trade for Nottingham Forest in the Premier League. India, in comparison, do not have many experienced players. The All Whites should coast to a comfortable victory because of the gulf in class between the teams.
Predicted result: New Zealand 3-1 India
Where can I watch New Zealand vs India?
Unfortunately, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has not made an official announcement as to where you can watch the New Zealand vs India match just yet. We will keep you posted as soon as an announcement is made. This match will kick off at 11:40 AM IST on Thursday, November 12, at the Go Media Stadium in Auckland.
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Cover image courtesy: X/IndianFootball
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