India vs Afghanistan Prediction & Betting Tips - World Cup

Prediction published on 24/03/2024, 07:30  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 26/03/2024 at 01:30 in World Cup Prediction

India will take on Afghanistan at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in the AFC World Cup Qualifiers on Tuesday afternoon. The hosts are currently in second place in Group A, while the visitors are fourth. Ranked 117th according to FIFA, India came into these qualifiers as the second-highest-ranked in this group. So far, they are on course to reach the main draw with four points after three games to their name, one point ahead of Kuwait in third and five behind the current group leaders Qatar. The Blue Tigers kicked off their qualifiers with an important 1-0 win over Kuwait back in November, but they were no match for the Maroons a few days later when they suffered a 3-0 defeat on home soil. On Thursday, they held this opponent to a goalless draw on the road but will be looking for a better result here, playing on their home patch. Following their last match, India are now winless in their last five matches in all competitions and failed to score in any of those games. Still, with the superiority in ranking and playing at home, India are the bookmakers' favourite in this match.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh are ranked 158th in the world and were the biggest outsiders to qualify from this group. Having only managed a single point so far, they have slipped even further in the betting market, and based on their form, it will likely take a huge chance in fortunes for them to claim a top-two finish. The Lions of Khorasan got their qualification campaign started on the worst possible note, losing by a whopping 8-1 in their opening match against Qatar in November last year. That was followed by a 4-0 defeat to Kuwait a few days later before Thursday’s stalemate against this opponent. With those results, Afghanistan are already three points behind the top two, and a loss here will put them on the cusp of heading to the third qualifying round. The visitors have failed to beat this opponent in their last five attempts (W0 D2 L3), with their only win over the Blue Tigers coming back in September 2013.