Raphael Durand
Dailysports's expert
One of the qualifying matches for the 2026 World Cup will take place on Thursday in Kolkata, where the Indian national team will host Kuwait. Here is a prediction for this match from the experts at Dailysports.
India
The "Blue Tigers" have been disappointing their fans in recent matches. In the World Cup qualifiers, Igor Štimac's team has secured only four points from four matches and currently holds second place in the group, trailing Qatar by eight points. Afghanistan has the same number of points as India.
India has managed to secure only one point in the last three qualifying rounds. They drew 0-0 away against Afghanistan, but then surprisingly lost to the same opponent at home with a score of 1-2. Additionally, India participated in the Asian Cup this winter, where they lost all three group stage matches.
Kuwait
The "Blues" did not participate in the Asian Cup, failing to pass the qualification. Similarly, Rui Bento's team faces challenges in the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup. After four rounds, Kuwait sits at the bottom of the group. In four matches, Kuwait has achieved only one victory, an unexpected 4-0 away win against Afghanistan.
Subsequently, they faced two defeats by the group favorite, Qatar - a 0-3 away loss and a 1-2 defeat at home. Nevertheless, the match against India is crucial for Kuwait to maintain their chances of advancing from the group. A victory would allow the "Blues" to surpass their rivals and move to second place in the group with one round remaining.
Interesting Facts and Head-to-Head History
- India defeated Kuwait in an away match with a score of 1-0.
- In the last three matches between these teams, the "Total Over 2.5" bet did not come through.
- The "Both Teams to Score" bet has succeeded in three out of four encounters in this fixture.
India vs Kuwait Prediction
India defeated Kuwait in the first qualifying match and is clearly aiming for three points in the home game. India has generally performed well at home recently. While the defeat to Qatar was expected, the loss to Afghanistan was a real shock. Before that, India had not lost in eight consecutive home matches. We believe the match will be very tense and will not feature many goals. Our bet is "Total Under 2.0" with odds of 1.89.
