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The 'Blue Tigers' are all set for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup 2019, the 17th edition of the tournament which will kick off on January 5, 2019, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
Ranked 97th in the world according to the latest FIFA rankings, the 'Men in Blue' will begin their Asian Cup campaign against the 118th-ranked Thailand on January 6, 2019.
India will play in this edition of the Asian Cup after eight-long years. India skipper Sunil Chhetri and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (third-choice then) are the two members who were part of the Asian Cup 2011 as well.
India have been placed in Group A, alongside the hosts UAE, Thailand and Bahrain. India are expecting to use the Asian Cup tournament as an important building block to fulfil the dream of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. There is hope for India to qualify for the next stage of the tournament but they start as the underdogs.
ALSO READ: Group A preview - UAE, India, Bahrain, Thailand
Recent results suggest that India have hit form at the right moment. India draw goalless with China back in October before a second-string side went down 1-2 to Jordan in November. India then held the unbeaten Oman 0-0 in Abu Dhabi and will go into the Asian Cup on the right note.
AFC Asian Cup 2019: India Schedule and Fixtures
# Match No - 3
Date: January 6, 2019
Opponent: Thailand
Venue: Al Nahyan Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Start Time: 7:00 PM, Indian Standard Time (IST)
# Match No - 15
Date: January 10, 2019
Opponent: United Arab Emirates
Venue: Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Start Time: 9:30 PM, Indian Standard Time (IST)
# Match No - 26
Date: January 14, 2019
Opponent: Bahrain
Venue: Sharjah Stadium, Sharjah
Start Time: 9:30 PM, Indian Standard Time (IST)
Where to watch India matches at AFC Asian Cup 2019?
All of India's matches will be broadcast on Star Sports Network, the official broadcaster of the Asian Cup 2019 in India.
Hotstar will provide the live streaming of all the matches.
For all the live blogs, news, updates, highlights and more from the tournament, visit Sportskeeda’s dedicated page for the AFC Asian Cup 2019.
