The victories -- India's solitary goal win against Maldives and Kyrgyz' 5-0 drubbing of Bhutan -- were enough example for what to expect from the two sides. And as such the teams present a picture of complete contrast as the scoreline of their respective triumphs.

While the Kyrgyz had to beat the tireness of their train journey more than Bhutan, India had perfectly acclimatised to the conditions having had almost the full of their build-up here. The styles the sides adapted to accomplish their wins too were different. The stocky, not-so-well-built Indians used their speed, skill and strategy to outwit Maldives, while the tall, strong and sturdy Kyrgyz utilised the air to the good effect to beatBhutan.

The use of the aerial balls is what the Indians have to be wary of as the Kyrgyz hold a clear height advantage. Kyrgyz coach Zagid Vaiev's statement after the match that he ``was not completely happy with his team's performance'', despite the whopping margin of victory, meant that the side will take the field against India with more determination and definitely fresher than they did in the opening match.

In skipper Sergey Ivanov and Aleksey Drobotov, the Kyrgyz seem to have trained, if not superb, forwards. And their mid-field too worked without a any tentativeness, in feeding their forwards with the necessary passes. It was in the defence the Kyrgyz looked vulnerable, as was proved by even the little Hem Bahadur Tamang, although not very frequently. This aspect of a not-too-stoic defence, is what should hearten the Indian coach Mohammed Habeeb, especially after his wards' show in the first match.

The Indian forwards Shaik Sanjib and Nitin Pradhan, with excellent assistance from attacking medioJames Singh, chose the strategy of tiring out the Maldivian defenders with their speed and short passes before actually scoring. But the original plan to wear the rival defence out helped India to cut all the chances of a possible fight back.