India gear up for friendlies ahead of crucial Macau match

Mumbai, August 18: It may not be of much help but the Indian football team will look to get some practice ahead of its AFC Asian Cup Qualifier game when it takes on lower-ranked Mauritius in the tri-nation series opener here tomorrow (August 19).

Placed 97th in the FIFA rankings, India will play friendly against St.Kitts and Nevis, the third team in the tournament on August 25. Mauritius is ranked 160th while St. Kitts and Nevis is ranked 125th.

While playing against stronger teams would have helped India prepare in a much better way for the match against Macau on September 5, still the team can garner some ranking points by winning the tournament.

India is on top of the AFC Asian Cup qualifying Group A at the moment, courtesy back-to-back victories over Myanmar and the Kyrgyz Republic.

Macau will be an altogether different challenge and India coach Stephen Constantine would assess the strengths and weaknesses of his side in the these games.

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"The two matches would immensely benefit our quest to maintain an all-win record in the Asian Cup Qualifiers," Constantine said.

Seasoned mid-fielder Eugeneson Lyngdon, young guns Halicharan Nazari, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Udanta Singh need to be consistent and deliver for the team.

The Indian side is familiar with the conditions, having won its last game against Nepal here and also the fact that the players train at the Mumbai Football Arena where the matches are to be played.