The Indian team head coach Igor Stimac has announced the Indian team squad for the AFC Under 23 Asian Cup Qualifiers, that is scheduled to begin from 23rd October, while India will take field on the 25th October.
After India's SAFF Championship 2021 glory, it is now time for the youngsters prove themselves in the Asian stage, and what better than the AFC U-23 Asian Cup. But it won't be an easy task for the Blue Colts as they have been drawn alongside Oman, Kyrgyz Republic or simply Kyrgyzstan and the host nation United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Group E.
The Indian team will be heading into the tournament without any proper preparation and friendly matches, whereas, the Oman team earlier played against Jordan, Yemen and Kuwait earlier this month.
UAE also coming strong into the tournament after playing Brazil, Lebanon, Iraq and Palestine before this tournament. Kyrgyzstan will also test the Indian team, but India is expected to come out in front in this match. Kyrgyzstan last played an U-23 match back in 2019, just like the Indian team.
The Indian team will have the services of some of the senior pros as Lalengmawia, also goes by the name Apuia, Suresh Singh, Akash Mishra, Rahim Ali and Dheeraj Singh in goal. They will be joined by some domestic pro such as Rahul KP, Vikram Pratap Singh, Deepak Tangri and Sumit Rathi.
Even though the fans are dissatisfied with the head coach Igor Stimac gameplay and strategy as Indian team's head coach, Igor Stimac will be leading the Indian U-23 team as well in the tournament.
AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers Format
The format for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers is very simple as each teams will play each other once in a centralized venue. India will play all its matches in UAE's Fujairah Stadium.
How can India qualify for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup ?
A total of 16 teams will make it past the qualifiers stage, including the host nation for the AFC U-23 Asian Cup, that is Uzbekistan, who are also participating in this competition.
A total of 11 teams who finish at the top of their respective group will qualify for the final while four best runners-up will make it into the tournament and host Uzbekistan makes it a total 16 teams in the AFC U-23 Asian Cup.
Indian U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers Squad
The Indian U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers Squad is as follows: Dheeraj Singh (FC Goa), Mohammad Nawaz (Mumbai City FC), Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (Kerala Blasters); Ruivah Hormipam (Kerala Blasters), Narender Gehlot (Jamshedpur FC), Sumit Rathi (ATK Mohun Bagan), Alex Saji (Gokulam Kerala FC), Akash Mishra (Hyderabad FC), Asish Rai (Hyderabad FC); Suresh Singh Wangjam (Bengaluru FC), Jeakson Singh (Kerala Blasters), Deepak Tangri (ATK Mohun Bagan), Bryce Miranda (Churchill Brothers), Amarjit Singh Kiyam (SC East Bengal on loan from FC Goa), Lalengmawia Apuia (Mumbai City FC), Princeton Rebello (FC Goa), Nikhil Raj (Odisha FC on loan from Kickstart FC), Rahul KP (Kerala Blasters), Aniket Jadhav (Hyderabad FC), Vikram Pratap Singh (Mumbai City FC), Rahim Ali (Chennaiyin FC), Komal Thatal (Jamshedpur FC), Rohit Danu (Hyderabad FC)
When and what time will India play AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches ?
The Indian team will kickstart their AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers campaign against Oman on the 25th October, followed by UAE and Kyrgyzstan on the 28th October and on the 31st October respectively. India's all of the matches will be played at 10 PM Indian Standard Time.
Where to watch India's AFC U-23 Asian Cup Qualifiers matches ?
For all the fans who want to watch India's next generation play, unfortunately there is no details about live telecast available. We will update you as soon as we find out something, so keep this page bookmarked.
0 Comments