Al Khobar (Saudi Arabia), Oct 2: A confident India U-17 men’s national football team will take on the Maldives in their first match of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers Group D at the Prince Saud Bin Jalawi Sports City Stadium on October 4.
The Group D campaign has already gotten underway, with Kuwait and hosts Saudi Arabia defeating the Maldives and Myanmar, respectively. Both matches ended with a margin of 6-0.
India head coach Bibiano Fernandes feels his boys are confident, heading into their first game of the qualifiers.
“We are confident that we can put out good performances in these qualifiers. It is a completely new batch to our course, and these boys have not had as much exposure as the last two batches due to Covid-19, but they are still a bunch of talented boys who have come a long way since we began the camp in February,” said Fernandes.
Fernandes feels that his boys will start from square one against the Maldives, and they would have to be on their guard.
“We have seen Maldives in the SAFF U-17 Championship in Sri Lanka, and in yesterday’s match as well. They have lost by a big margin, but it can be tricky against a team that has just had such a result. Such results can often jolt the players into action, and we need to be on our guard against them,” he said.
Having said that, the coach has full faith in his boys.
“We have enough quality players to get the three points, and that is what we always set out to do — no matter the opposition. It’s the three points that matter the most at the end of the day, and that is what we are after,” said Fernandes.
On the other hand, Maldives head coach Ahmad Shareef feels that development, and not results, are the most important thing for his side. “I’d like to thank the organisers for hosting us in these qualifiers. I am sure everyone has worked hard, as have our players,” said Shareef.
“Our preparations may not have been as extensive as we would have liked, but the main focus for us is to get these boys ready for the next level. For us, the development aspect is very important, and these matches are crucial for that,” he added.
A total of 43 teams will participate in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers across 10 groups. (IANS)
