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The Indian football head coach Igor Stimac has named a 23-man probable squad for the upcoming SAFF Championship 2021 in the Maldives.
The Blue Tigers will assemble in Bengaluru on September 27 and then fly out to the Maldives on September 28. The SAFF Championship kicks off on October 1 with the final slated to be held on October 16.
India will face Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and the Maldives in the league stage. The top two teams in the league stage will then proceed to the final. All the games will be played at the National Stadium in Male, Maldives.
Igor Stimac spoke to AIFF Media on how crucial the SAFF Championship is for the Indian team.
“We are all looking forward to the SAFF Championship as the leading football country in this part of Asia," he said. "These 4-5 games are extremely crucial for us as we won’t have any other chance of getting together before the start of 3rd round AFC Asian Cup qualifiers next season. So these matches should help us to improve a few points in our game.”
Indian Football Team Fixtures in SAFF Championship 2021
October 4: Bangladesh vs Indian Football Team (IST 4.30pm).
October 7: Indian Football Team vs Sri Lanka (IST 4.30pm).
October 10: Nepal vs Indian Football Team (IST 8.30pm).
October 13: Indian Football Team vs Maldives (IST 8.30pm).
India's 23-man probables for SAFF Championship 2021
GOALKEEPERS: Gurpreet Singh, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.
DEFENDERS: Pritam Kotal, Seriton Fernandes, Chinglensana Singh, Rahul Bheke, Subhasish Bose, Mandar Rao Dessai.
MIDFIELDERS: Udanta Singh, Brandon Fernandes, Lalengmawia, Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Jeakson Singh, Glan Martins, Suresh Singh, Liston Colaco, Yasir Mohammad.
FORWARDS: Manvir Singh, Rahim Ali, Sunil Chhetri, Farukh Choudhary.
India are the most successful side in the SAFF Championship (previously known as the SAARC Cup). The Blue Tigers have won it on seven occasions. Maldives are the defending champions of the SAFF Championship as they won the 2018 title by defeating India in the final in Bangladesh.
