India face Iraq with rotation and focus

The Indian football team will be open to experimentation when it clashes with a comparatively easy rival Iraq in a Group B clash of the AFC Women's Asian Cup 2026 Qualifiers, here on Wednesday.

Winger Soumya Guguloth, who suffered a nasal bone fracture during the match against Timor-Leste, has been ruled out of the contest.

India currently sit atop the table with six points and a goal difference of +17 after wins against Mongolia (13-0) and Timor-Leste (4-0).

Thailand are in second place, also with six points but with a goal difference of +11.

Iraq have already played three games and are on four points. They must defeat India to have any chance of staying alive on the road to Australia.

While it has turned into a race between India and Thailand to increase their goal difference before they meet on the final day (July 5), Blue Tigresses coach Crispin Chettri affirmed that earning three points are the bigger priority, and the focus is only on the game against Iraq for now.

"Thailand is the last match, but for now, our full focus is on Iraq. We shouldn’t worry about how many goals Thailand or we have scored, or will score. The priority is to approach the Iraq match with a positive mindset and go for the win," said Chettri.

After defeating Timor-Leste on Sunday, Chettri and his coaching staff stayed at the stadium to watch Iraq suffer a 0-7 drubbing at the hands of the hosts.

It has been a rollercoaster ride for the 173rd-ranked West Asians, who were held goalless by Timor-Leste in the first game, before defeating Mongolia 5-2 to earn their first-ever victory on the international stage.

Giving his opinion on the Iraq side coached by their former men's international Abdul-Wahab Abu Al-Hail and ranked 103 places below India, Chettri said, "For me, Iraq are not as weak as people might think. They're a good side, but they've been playing back-to-back matches, so we may have an advantage in terms of recovery." "Overall, I don't see a big difference between Iraq and Timor-Leste. I feel Timor-Leste were more organised. So, I think we’ll get more opportunities to play our game against Iraq. It should be a good match for us to try a few new things as well." With only two days to prepare after the match against Timor-Leste, the Blue Tigresses utilised their break fruitfully with recovery in the pool and a gym session on Monday morning, followed by a full training session on Tuesday morning.

"We worked on the areas where we fell short in the matches against both Timor-Leste and Mongolia. We’re now giving players specific responsibilities, whether it’s in attack or in 1v1 defending. That was the main focus of the preparation," said Chettri.

After only the first two games, Chettri has already used 22 players, including all outfielders, from the 23-member squad.

The Indian coach expressed he might look to continue with the rotation trend in the Iraq game and distribute valuable minutes to younger and newer players, while also hoping to keep everyone fresh for the last game.

"More or less, all players have got chances. Of course, we cannot take the Iraq match lightly. There may be some rotation, but key players will still get minutes.

"Giving game time to upcoming players is important at such a stage, but in crucial matches, we'll have to stick to a core group. If we manage to score early, then we may be able to rotate more freely," said Chettri.