New Zealand 5–0 India

New Zealand’s recent lift

New Zealand head into Thursday’s friendly on the back of a win, offering a timely boost before India visit Go Media Stadium in Auckland. The contrast is stark: New Zealand have shown they can find the net, while India’s recent results point to a side struggling both to score and to keep opponents out.

A sharper attack against a leaky defence

New Zealand’s four matches in this competition have brought a win, a draw and two defeats, with five goals scored and seven conceded. Their latest result was a victory, and they have kept one clean sheet across those four games. That gives the hosts some attacking encouragement, though the defensive record suggests India could still find openings.

India’s seven matches in this competition have produced two draws and five defeats. They have scored four goals and conceded 18, with no clean sheets. Their last five friendlies brought two draws and three defeats, with four goals scored and 15 conceded; they are also on a run of two defeats and have gone seven matches without a win.

Those figures frame the central contest: New Zealand’s more productive attack against an India defence that has been conceding regularly. India will need a more solid performance to disrupt the home side, while New Zealand have an opportunity to press their advantage without assuming the outcome is settled.

The attacking difference

New Zealand’s five goals in four competition matches compare favourably with India’s four in seven. The gap in goals conceded is even more pronounced, making India’s defensive response a key factor. New Zealand have not been immune to setbacks, however, and their two defeats in the same four-match run underline why they cannot take control for granted.

Our prediction

New Zealand have the edge because their recent win and stronger scoring record offer a more convincing platform against an India side that has lost its last two and conceded heavily in this competition. A home win is the likeliest single outcome, but the draw remains a substantial alternative, so New Zealand should be favoured cautiously rather than treated as certain to prevail.