Match facts
Tuesday, June 7, 2016
Start time: 1900 local
Venue: Indira Gandhi Stadium, Guwahati
Big Picture
India come into the second leg of their AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifying playoff with a morale-boosting 1-0 win over Laos on June 2 - their first away win in any qualifier since a Jo Paul Ancheri goal helped them beat Brunei in May 2001.
Defeat in this match or this tie will not mean the end of the road for the losing team, as they will get a second chance in another playoff to qualify for the continental competition. However, India will be looking to repeat the result they had at the same venue in Stephen Constantine's first game in charge in 2015, when they beat Nepal 2-0.
Laos are unlikely to be under any pressure going into this match, since few would be expecting them to overturn the 1-0 deficit. This could help the team open up the shackles a bit and play a free-flowing brand of football.
Form guide (last five matches, most recent first)
Laos LDWLL (only win was a World Cup qualifier awarded to Laos due to suspension of the Kuwait FA)
India WLLWW
In the spotlight
His strike partner Jeje Lalpekhlua has been making it a habit to score goals in big matches of late, but Sunil Chhetri remains the first Indian footballer to hit a half ton of international goals. The last of those was an extra-time winner against Afghanistan at the SAFF Championship in January, and Guwahati will be hoping he can rediscover his scoring touch in Indian colours on Tuesday.
Laos lost the first leg at home, but a player who impressed was striker Khampheng Sayavutthi. A player with a reputation for scoring important goals, he came closest to netting the equalizer with a header in injury time during the match in Vientiane. If he can get a goal early, it could make for a grandstand finish to the tie.