New Delhi, Feb 4 (Agency) Indian men’s team will play two international friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus on March 23 and 26 respectively in Manama, Bahrain, the All Indian Football Federation (AIFF) said on Friday. The matches are part of the preparation of India’s campaign in the AFC Asian Cup 2023 third round qualifiers, which is scheduled to be held in June 2022. The last time India played any UEFA Member Association was in February 2012 against Azerbaijan, which the rivals won 3-0. Head Coach Igor Stimac said: “Given the current circumstances, it was extremely difficult to find the kind of opponents we were looking for.
But I am very happy that we have the two matches on our schedule. “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.” Bahrain are placed at 91 in the FIFA rankings, while Belarus are on 94. India’s current FIFA ranking is 104. “Both Bahrain and Belarus are ranked higher than us, and if all goes well with the ISL season with our boys putting in good performances, and playing competitive games we should be ready,” Stimac added.
“Playing against better teams is the best way to improve our own game, as that allows the boys the chance to mature playing against, and with better speed. Our youngsters need more exposure and time to play, and practice. Sometimes results may suffer, but if we follow the path, we will have a better future soon.” Stimac, who coached Croatia to qualify for the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014, also underlined the importance of taking necessary precautions and staying 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.