Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Feb 4: The senior Indian men’s football team will play two international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus on March 23 and March 26, 2022, respectively. The matches are part of the Indian men’s senior national team’s preparation for their participation in the AFC Asian Cup China 2023 third-round qualifiers, which will take place in June 2022.
“Given the current situation, finding the type of opponents we were looking for was extremely tough. However, I am overjoyed that we have two matches on our calendar “In an AIFF announcement, head coach Igor Stimac stated.
“We are doing our best to prepare well for the upcoming final qualifying round of the AFC Asian Cup China 2023, and these two matches will immensely facilitate our preparatory process,” he added.
“Both Bahrain and Belarus are ranked higher than us, and if all goes well with the Hero ISL season with our boys putting in good performances, and playing competitive games we should be ready,” he further added.
Notably, Bahrain is ranked 91st in the FIFA rankings, while Belarus is ranked 94th. India is currently ranked 104th in the FIFA World Rankings.
The last time India played a UEFA Member Association was in February 2012, when it faced Azerbaijan in a match that the opponents won 3-0.
The Belarus contingent includes a number of international players that play in the Russian Premier League (three players) and the first league (three players), as well as a few more who are signed to teams in Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus.
Stimac, who coached Croatia to FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 qualification, also emphasised the necessity of taking “required steps and being safe.”
“We need to keep planning, and working as everything is fine and normal. But at the same time, we need to take precautions to keep as safe as possible in our endeavour to avoid unpleasant situations,” he said.
Both the matches, scheduled to be played in Manama, Bahrain from 9:30 pm IST onwards (7 pm local time, Bahrain).
