India aim to boost confidence with Thailand friendly ahead of Asian Cup qualifiers

Pathum Thani: The Indian men's national team will take on Thailand in a FIFA International Friendly on Wednesday at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani. For the Blue Tigers, ranked 127th, the match serves as valuable preparation for the all-important AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round match against Hong Kong to be held on June 10 in Kowloon City.

After the friendly, the Indian contingent will fly from Bangkok to Hong Kong on June 5. Thailand, ranked 99th and also competing in the Asian Cup Qualifiers, are using the friendly to gear up for their match against Turkmenistan.

In the pre-match press conference on Tuesday, India head coach Manolo Marquez said, "We are preparing for the game against Hong Kong, and Thailand are preparing for Turkmenistan. It's a good, friendly game for both teams because we are in a similar situation (playing the Asian Cup Qualifiers)."

Lallianzuala Chhangte, accompanying Marquez in the press conference, said, "We've been working really hard for these two matches. We take this friendly game seriously and want to win it as well. Everyone is focused and motivated. The coaching staff and everyone on the team are behind us, helping us in every way they can.

"Thailand, we know, are a good team offensively and defensively. We came here with a clear plan. Our focus is on ourselves, and hopefully, we can execute what we've been working on. If we win this game, it will boost our confidence for the Hong Kong match," the winger added.

This will be the first meeting between the two sides since 2019. India won both the previous clashes — a 4-1 rout at the AFC Asian Cup 2019 in Abu Dhabi before a 1-0 victory in Buriram handed the Blue Tigers the bronze medal at the King's Cup later that year. (IANS)

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