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As a pre-season game ahead of the much-anticipated AFC U-16 Championships in Malaysia later on next month, the young Indian team is set to lock horns with hosts Jordan in the first game of the competition that is set to give rise to some riveting action on the day.
The clash, which is part of the fifth edition of the West Asian Football Federation will act as an 'exposure tour' for the Indian team as they are set to face off against strong teams from China, Japan, Yemen and hosts Jordan, a team with which they clashed paths in the recently concluded 2018 Serbia tour.
A joint association of the All India Football Federation and the Sports Authority of India, the tournament will serve as a stage for the fine tuning of the players' skills ahead of the mega competition next month.
The WAFF Boys Championships follows the exposure tours prior to this competition when the U-16 team travelled to China, Thailand, and Malaysia. Given the fact that they will be facing most of the teams which have qualified for the 2018 AFC Cup in the upcoming championships, this will easily serve to be the teenagers' biggest test.
India will also be pitted against defending champions Iraq and Japan, a team which is touted as the best in Asia. Coach Bibiano Fernandes, who has managed to train a very talented bunch of youngsters can well hope to clinch another title victory in the upcoming tournament.
Against Jordan, the likes of Givson Singh, Rohit Danu will play an imperative part in the mid-field while Neeraj Kumar, who will in all likelihood settle into the goalkeeper's role will hope to put in a positive performance.
With one eye towards the 2018 AFC Cup, the U-16 team will look to kickstart the WAFF Championships on a positive note and strengthen their claim for a dominating show in the AFC Cup next month.
Match Details:
Date: 1st August, 2018.
Time: 7.30 PM IST
Live Updates: Sportskeeda
