Welcome to KBT Sports HD live coverage of the India vs Malaysia friendly match being played at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad.
The Indian men’s football team will face Malaysia in a one-off international friendly at the GMC Balayogi Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.
The India vs Malaysia football match starts at 7:30 PM IST and will be available to watch on live streaming and live telecast in India.
Monday’s IND vs MAS match will be the 33rd meeting between the two Asian nations on the international football stage, with the first dating back to 1957. India have not played any other opponent on more occasions.
Pakistan (29 matches) and Bangladesh (28 matches) are the next two on the list.
As far as the head-to-head record is concerned, India and Malaysia have both won 12 matches each while eight have ended in draws. Malaysia won 4-2 when the two sides met the last time in the 2023 Merdeka Cup semi-finals.
The now-retired Sunil Chhetri and Naorem Mahesh Singh scored India’s goals in the match while Dion Cools, Arif Aiman, Faisal Halim and La'Vere Corbin-Ong netted for the home team at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium in Kuala Lumpur on the night.
While a majority of the players involved in the match in October last year are also expected to feature in the upcoming match in Hyderabad, both teams will be under new management.
Manolo MΓ‘rquez has taken over India’s reins from Igor Stimac after the Blue Tigers failed to qualify for Round 3 of the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers.
Malaysia, too, parted ways with their Republic of Korea’s Kim Pan-gon under similar circumstances with Pau MartΓ being promoted from assistant to head coach.
MΓ‘rquez and MartΓ, both Spaniards, are fairly familiar with each other from their time in the Barcelona setup and Monday’s match could very well turn out to be a tactical battle between the two Catalans.
Still in search of his first win since taking over, MΓ‘rquez has named a 26-member squad for the match. Veteran defender Sandesh Jhingan is set to return to the national setup for the first time since sustaining an injury during India’s match against Syria in the AFC Asian Cup back in January.
India, however, will be without midfield anchor Anirudh Thapa, who had to pull out after sustaining an injury during an Indian Super League match.
Thoiba Singh has been drafted into the squad as Thapa’s replacement and is one of the five maiden call-ups in the Indian camp.
Vibin Mohanan, Jithin MS, Irfan Yadwad and Hmingthanmawia Ralte are the other four who may be in line for an international debut come Monday.
India, winless in their last 11 international outings, are 125th in the latest FIFA football rankings while Malaysia, who are coming into the match on the back of a commanding 3-1 win over Laos, are world No. 133.
