28-man Indian football probable squad announced for World Cup Qualifiers
A 28-man Indian football probable squad has been announced by The All India Football Federation (AIFF) for the remaining Round 2 FIFA World Cup 2022/AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers against Qatar, Afghanistan and Bangladesh. The matches are scheduled to be played at Doha, Qatar, in June.
Glan Martins earns maiden Indian football team call-up
Glan Martins has earned a maiden call-up to the Indian football team after his consistent performances with FC Goa in the Indian Super League (ISL) and AFC Champions League (ACL).
The Indian football team has been in isolation in a bio-secure bubble at a hotel in New Delhi since May 15. The squad has tested negative in tests conducted in the last 48 hours and will leave for Doha, Qatar, on May 19.
Indian football team eyes Asian Cup qualification
The Indian football team is eyeing an early Asian Cup qualification. The Blue Tigers are currently 4th in Group E behind Qatar, Oman and Afghanistan.
India will look to finish third in order to book a place in Round 3 group stage of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualification. Finishing 4th or 5th will put India into the AFC Asian Cup 2023 qualification play-offs.
The Indian football team will face Qatar on June 3, Bangladesh on June 7, and Afghanistan on June 15. All three matches will be played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha.
The three matches were originally scheduled to be played at the respective home and away venues but were shifted to Qatar due to the prevailing COVID-19 situation in India.
Full Indian football squad:
GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Dheeraj Singh.
DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Narender Gehlot, Chinglensana Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Adil Khan, Akash Mishra, Subhashish Bose.
MIDFIELDERS: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Rowllin Borges, Glan Martins, Anirudh Thapa, Pronoy Halder, Suresh Singh, Lalengmawia Ralte, Abdul Sahal, Yasir Mohammad, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Bipin Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan.
FORWARDS: Ishan Pandita, Sunil Chhetri, Manvir Singh.
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