Must-win situation for India

With their inspirational captain Baichung Bhutia having to sit out, India face an uphill task when they take on Yemen in an Asian Zone Group 8 World Cup qualifying match at Sa'ana on Friday.

Bhutia, who was shown the yellow card twice in India's 0-1 defeat to the UAE last Friday, will miss the crucial match, which India desperately need to win to keep their hopes of qualifying for the next phase alive.

India have never made it to the second round of qualifiers.

Yemen, who drew 1-1 with India in their previous match in Bangalore last month, are sitting atop the Group 8 table with seven points from three matches, having won two and drawn one.

The UAE, with six points, is second on the league table, followed by India, with four points from the three matches.

Vice-captain I M Vijayan, who will lead India in Bhutia's absence, said the team is in an upbeat mood and has put the loss to the UAE behind. He is confident of winning despite the absence of their star player.

"We are not under-estimating the Yemeni team though they are not rated as high as UAE. This is a very crucial match for us. However, we have excellent co-ordination and all our players are fully fit and confident. We will go all out for a win," Vijayan said over phone from the Yemeni capital.

Bhutia's expulsion by Malaysian referee Abdul Hamid Halim has thrown the team's plans in total disarray. The decision was questioned by the Indian camp, with Bhutia himself suspecting 'foul play'.

"Everybody knows what happened in that match. It was a fifty-fifty mistake from both sides in the second incident. I suspect some foul play behind the referee's decision," the Indian captain had said.

However, coach Sukhvinder Singh said the team has reworked its strategy and is ready to face Yemen.

"Bhutia is our ace card and his loss will reflect in the performance of the team. But soccer is a team game and our team is fully capable of overcoming the setback with its expertise," Sukhwinder said.

"The entire team is aware of the importance of the match against Yemen and we will clinch victory," he added.

The team reached Sa'ana on May 1 but the Indian embassy in Yemen was not informed about their arrival. As a result, the embassy officials were disappointed that none of them could go to the airport to receive the team.