Kings Cup 2023: India faces a tough task against Iraq- Squad, Schedule, Where to watch

The Indian football team will kick off their King's Cup 2023 campaign against Iraq in the four-team tournament on Thursday in Thailand.

India will be without their talismanic skipper Sunil Chhetri as they return to action after two months against a higher-ranked opponent. Chhetri, who played a key role in title triumphs of the Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship, has taken a break to spend time with his new born son and wife.

Ranked 29 places above India in the FIFA rankings, Iraq, who recently won the Arabian Gulf Cup, will start as firm favorites in the four-nation tournament where the winners of the two round-robin matches play the final.

The other two teams are Thailand and Lebanon who will go against each other in the other round-robin match.

India has never defeated Iraq in six meetings with four losses and two draws making it a tough challenge for the Stimac-coached side. The last time India took on Iraq, the Blue Tigers lost 0-2 in a Sharjah friendly before the 2011 Asian Cup.

"I hope that we're going to give everything on the pitch to do something good against a strong side like Iraq, who are Arabian Gulf Cup champions," said Stimac in the pre-match media interaction.

"After beating Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, they are one of the clear favorites in the upcoming Asian Cup. So it's going to be very difficult for us, but I hope our boys will enjoy the game," he added.

"India is not easy. We have watched their matches. They are a very good team, very organized. They know a lot of ways to attack. They can play short ball and long ball. But our target is to win this tournament and prepare for the World Cup qualifiers," Iraq coach Casas said.

In the absence of the skipper Chhetri, the Indian team will depend on the rising star of Indian football, Lallianzuala Chhangte.

The winger, who made only his third start for India against Curaçao in the 2019 King's Cup semi-final, is now at the peak of his national team career, scoring in the final of both the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship this year. He was also named the 2022-23 AIFF Player of the Year.

"The team atmosphere right now is very well. We just had beautiful success over the last few months, and I hope we continue that momentum," Chhangte said.

"But I think this will be the real test because we are playing away from home and playing against one of the best countries in Asia," Chhangte added.

The King's Cup will mark India's fourth appearance in the tournament and the first time after 2019 when the Blue Tigers reached the semi-finals but were defeated by Curacao.

Indian Squad for Kings Cup 2023

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Gurmeet Singh.

Defenders: Asish Rai, Nikhil Poojary, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Mehtab Singh, Lalchungnunga, Akash Mishra.

Midfielders: Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Suresh Singh Wangjam, Brandon Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad, Anirudh Thapa, Rohit Kumar, Ashique Kuruniyan, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte.

Forwards: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Rahul KP.

Schedule for King's Cup 2023

• Match 1 - September 7, 4:00 pm – India vs Iraq
• Match 2 - September 7, 7:00 pm – Thailand vs Lebanon
  
• Third-place match - September 10, 4:00 pm – Loser of semifinal 1 vs Loser of semifinal 2
  
• Final - September 10, 7:00 pm – Winner of Semifinal 1 vs Winner of Semifinal 2
  

Where to watch King's Cup, Live Streaming

All the matches of the King's Cup will be aired on Eurosport and live-streamed on FIFA Plus TV.