Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

MARGAO: It’s a return leg of utmost importance for the Indian senior men’s national team, as they take on Singapore in their fourth match of the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round, at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, on Tuesday, October 13, 2025. The match kicks off at 19:30 IST, and will be broadcast live on Star Sports Khel and streamed on JioHotstar. Tickets can be bought on district.in.

The last match between India and Singapore, played in Singapore, ended in a draw, Rahim Ali cancelling out Ikhsan Fandi’s first half strike in the 90th minute. This time, with just two points from three matches, India find themselves in a must-win situation.

Blue Tigers head coach Khalid Jamil said at the pre-match press conference, “It’s an important game for us. We are playing at our home, so we must think positive and try to get a positive result.

“There’s a lot of expectation now, but Singapore are a good side who are very difficult to beat. But we have to give it our best shot,” he said.

Jamil has brought in two new players – Subhasish Bose and Lalengmawia Ralte (Apuia) – to strengthen the side for the home game against Singapore.

“We required them (Bose and Apuia) because we don’t have extra left-backs and he’s (Sandesh Jhingan) suspended. Apuia deserves to be back because of his experience. I’ve seen him play his last game in the IFA Shield, and I think this is the right time for us to use his services,” said Jamil.

When quizzed about India’s approach for the upcoming game, Jamil said, “We played our best game in the second half, albeit with 10 men. We must continue with that, but this time, we will have one extra player. So that will be a good start for us.

Goa is a state known for its passionate football fans, and the Blue Tigers will be counting on their 12th man to get the results. “We are fully expecting the local fans to come out in numbers and support India. This is our country, and we need everyone’s support. We would love to have all the support we can get.”

India defender Pramveer echoed the sentiments, saying, “This is our home game, and we want to play well and get the result. We are confident, and with the support from the stands, we can get the three points.”

Singapore head coach Gavin Lee, having had a victory snatched from him in the last minutes, is also intent on getting three points.

“We approached the last game thinking that we want the three points, and we want to do the same in this match too. The only difference now is that we are not at home. So that obviously is a slight advantage to India,” he said. “But again, no problem. We will go with our heads down, do our best, and try to bring the three points home.”