Indian football team will get their chance to test their strength and weakness against cross-border rivals
Indian Football Captain Sunil Chettri with other team mates during a practice session ahead of their U-23 football exhibition match against Pakistan in Bengaluru
Bengaluru: With the Asian Games looming large, the Indian football team will be testing their strengths and weaknesses against cross-border rivals Pakistan. The two Asian sides will face off at the Bangalore Football Stadium on Sunday with one eye on the impending Games and the other on putting in a performance that will live up to the standards of the preceding encounters.
India versus Pakistan has always been a spicy tie with emotions running high and players putting in an extra shift and digging deep. Such is the passion that these matches evoke. But these encounters have been a rarity of late with the last bilateral series on a football pitch dating back to 2005 in Lahore and the last cricketing one in 2012. Besides captain Sunil Chhetri, Robin Singh and Francis Fernandes, the rest of the squad is made up of U-23 youngsters, as per norm for the Asian Games.
While Chhetri has been in scintillating form, India had a relatively tame exposure trip to Czech Republic where the side’s defensive frailty was often exposed. Koevermans’ side will have to shore up the back line, especially with explosive Kalim Ullah leading the opposition line, while allowing the talented Alwyn George to feed the ball to the strikers. India are much more rounded in the attack department.
Pakistan’s hopes lie heavily on the shoulders of Ullah and winger Muhammad Adil, with the latter in charge of the supply line.
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