Second-String India Face Pakistan In SAFF Championships Opening Match

A second-string Indian team, with just 18 players available, will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their opening match of the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championships in Dhaka on Thursday. India are the defending champions, but the main team is not taking part in the tournament in view of the away international friendly matches against New Zealand on November 12 and 15 in Auckland and Christchurch, respectively. There is also the issue of the reluctance of the Indian Super League (ISL) clubs to release players in the midst of the ongoing season, as Thursday's match against Pakistan falls on a date outside the FIFA international window (November 9-17).

While announcing the squad for the tournament, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) had said that 18 players would travel to Dhaka on November 3 from Kolkata, while the remaining 10 would join the group over the subsequent days.

Once the FIFA international window starts on November 9, the ISL clubs will release their players and the squad will be at full strength with 28 members.

The Blue Tigers next play against Maldives on November 11 in their second Group B match of the six-team tournament, which will be played at the National Stadium in Dhaka.

Hosts Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Bhutan are placed in Group A.

The top two teams from each group will advance to the semifinals, scheduled for November 14. The final will be played on November 17.

The Indian team is under the charge of U-23 national team head coach Naushad Moosa. Bibiano Fernandes, who recently coached the India U-15 men's team at the FIFA U-15 World Cup and Festival in Azerbaijan, is the assistant coach.

"I think Bangladesh are currently the strongest team in the tournament, and we hope to face them in the final," Naushad was quoted as saying by local media after the team's arrival in Dhaka.

"I am optimistic about my team's chances of becoming champions," he said.

India have won the regional tournament nine times in the previous 14 editions since 1993, while finishing runners-up four times and in third place once.

Pakistan's best performance in the tournament has been a third-place finish in 1997.

Historically, India have been dominant against Pakistan. In the 10 matches played between the two teams since the turn of the millennium, India have won seven, lost two and drawn one.

In the last meeting between the two sides, India were 4-0 winners in the previous edition of the championships in 2023 in Bengaluru, with Sunil Chhetri scoring a hat-trick. India went on to win the tournament under Igor Stimac.

Pakistan have come into the tournament after losing twice and drawing once in their ASEAN Cup Group B matches. They lost to Thailand (0-4) and Vietnam (2-4), and drew with the Philippines (2-2).

But under former Peruvian international Nolberto Solano, who became head coach last year, Pakistan have improved, registering two wins and a draw in their last five matches.

Pakistan have called up Danish-born captain and defender Abdullah Iqbal, who plays for Mjallby AIF in Sweden, in a bid to reach the final of the regional tournament for the first time.

With India fielding a second-string team, Thursday's match against Pakistan could be a closely fought contest.

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