On Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the hope is for another feisty encounter as the hosts will look to put one across Lebanon in the semifinals.

One of the reasons the 2023 SAFF championship welcomed two West Asian sides in Kuwait and Lebanon was to make the tournament more competitive.

India after all, had won eight of the past 13 editions, and the presence of a couple of evenly matched teams would certainly liven up proceedings.

The India – Kuwait game on Tuesday fit the billing, and India nearly edged the contest before an unfortunate own goal denied it a famous win. On Saturday at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, the hope is for another feisty encounter as the hosts will look to put one across Lebanon in the semifinal.

Recent history suggests that India has the edge, having beaten Lebanon in the Intercontinental Cup final a fortnight ago and drawn the other group stage game in Bhubaneswar. 

But this time, on Saturday, Chhetri and company will have to do without Sandesh Jhingan in defence and head coach Igor Stimac on the touchline. Jhingan was highly instrumental playing a pivotal role in the 1-1 draw against Kuwait, is suspended after picking up his second yellow card. Stimac is banned after his second red in as many matches.

That Lebanon will be keen to avenge the Intercontinental Cup loss will add spice. 

The Aleksandar Ilic-coached outfit topped Group-B with three wins out of three and the Serbian’s promise of “Total Football” indicated that his wards will play to win.

“There are no secrets any more between the teams,” declared Ilic, on Friday. “We are really motivated and I am pushing my players psychologically to make them believe we can succeed. It will be very important that we score the first goal. That will help us end the semifinal in a positive way.”