The Indian football team’s tour of Vietnam is set to begin on October 9, when the Blue Tigers face hosts Vietnam at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dịn. India will then take on Lebanon on October 12 at the same venue.
On Monday, Manolo Marquez, head coach of the Indian team, announced a 26-member probable squad, with the final 23-man roster to be announced before the team’s departure for Vietnam.
This will be Marquez’s second assignment since his appointment as the head coach of the Indian team in July.
His first outing was the Intercontinental Cup held in Hyderabad in September, where India failed to impress. The Blue Tigers were held to a goalless draw by Mauritius in the first match and then suffered a 0-3 defeat to Syria.
For their forthcoming tournament, Marquez, who is also the head coach Indian Super League (ISL) franchise FC Goa, will again get little time to prepare the team for the Tri-Nation series in Vietnam.
The team will arrive in Vietnam on October 7, reported Times of India. They will have just two training sessions before their first match against Vietnam, ranked 116th in the world.
Ahead of their second match against Lebanon, the highest-ranked team in the tournament at 114th, India will have two additional training sessions.