Dhaka [Bangladesh], November 18 : The Indian senior men's team will face Bangladesh in Group C of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round on Tuesday, at the National Stadium in Dhaka, as per the official website of the All India Football Federation (AIFF).
This will be the 30th meeting between India and Bangladesh. The Blue Tigers have won 14, lost four, and drawn 11 matches, including the previous meeting in March's reverse fixture in Shillong, which marked the start of the Qualifiers.
Tuesday's match will be the first time in 22 years that India will face Bangladesh in Bangladesh. The last such occasion was the 2003 SAFF Gold Cup, where the hosts won 2-1 in the same venue in Dhaka.
In the pre-match press conference, India head coach Khalid Jamil said, "We are happy to be here, and it is our pleasure to be in Bangladesh. Bangladesh are a good team, and it will be a good match," as quoted from the official website of AIFF.
Accompanying Jamil was goalkeeper Sahil, who said, "It's an important game for us tomorrow, and we've had a good time preparing with the team in the camp in Bengaluru."
The Blue Tigers began their training camp in Bengaluru on November 6 and travelled to Dhaka on November 15. Jamil's men had two training sessions in Bangladesh, first on Sunday evening at the Armed Police Battalion Ground, and Monday morning's official training session at the National Stadium.
Nineteen-year-old Sahil is one of the seven players who, if they feature in Tuesday's game, will make their senior India debut. The others are Hrithik Tiwari, Pramveer, Lalremtluanga Fanai, Mohammed Sanan, and Bikash Yumnam. Further, two, Brison Fernandes and Macarton Louis Nickson, have only one cap each, as Jamil prioritised the inclusion of many newer and younger players for this game.
"I am happy because everyone is working very hard. The new players also know the importance of this game. They are giving their best. So for us, whoever is available, we will use them," said Jamil.
Both India and Bangladesh were knocked out of the qualification race in the October window after collecting only two points from four games and cannot finish at the top of the table. India will be aiming to finish as high in the group as possible and also gain valuable FIFA ranking points.
Whatever the stage and occasion, an India-Bangladesh match has always been a battle for pride ever since their first meeting in 1978, and this one will be no different. There is a real buzz in the Bangladesh capital for this game as tickets were reportedly sold out in a matter of minutes, and a capacity crowd of more than 22,000 is expected.
"We know it's a pressure game. But we need to keep our focus and build on our work to get a positive result," Jamil said.
Bangladesh have lost both their home games in the qualifiers this year to Singapore (1-2) and Hong Kong (3-4). Just four days ago at the same venue, Bangladesh drew 2-2 with Nepal in a friendly game, with midfielder Hamza Choudhury scoring a brace. Jamil said that his side's focus will be on the host team as a whole, instead of a single player.
"We are following our plan. Bangladesh have good players and so do we. We are thinking about our opponents as a whole. It's a very important game. We must think properly, stay calm, and aim for a positive result," said the Indian head coach.
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