World Cup qualifiers, India vs Afghanistan: Could FC Goa left-back Jay Gupta get his debut for Blue Tigers?

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India will face Afghanistan in their fourth World Cup qualifiers match at home on March 26. Their last encounter three days ago ended in a 0-0 draw. As a result, the Blue Tigers now sit in second place in the table with four points.

They need at least five more points from their next three matches. The best way to earn three points is from this match against Afghanistan. However, India's gameplay has not been the most impressive. This has been especially true for the full-backs of the team.

Coach Igor Stimac has already said that he is expecting more from his full-backs and they have not been able to deliver so far. Hence, the coach could make a few changes to the starting XI and throughout the game.

Coach Stimac has three left-back options in his hand - Akash Mishra, Subhasish Bose, and Jay Gupta. Both Akash and Subhasish are regular starters for the Blue Tigers. Whereas, Jay has not yet made his debut. Considering the situation, the coach could hand Jay his debut in this match.







Akash Mishra was quite effective for the Blue Tigers. His defensive skills along with the abilitt of moving up on the field to attack helped India many time. However, his performance has declined in the last few matches for the Blue Tigers.







Subhasish Bose has was subbed in for Akash in India's last match against Afghanistan in the 60th minute. Subhasish has been excellent for his club Mohun Bagan this season and he was efficient for India in their last match. Hence, he could start in this match.







However, if the coach is not happy with his play, he could hand Jay Gupta his debut. Jay could even start the match if the coach is not fully convinced of his two options at hand.







His performance for FC Goa has been impressive this season. He is good moving up to attack, but his Achilles heel could turn out to be in the defense.