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The Indian men's national team will kick off their Intercontinental Cup 2023 campaign with an enticing clash against Mongolia on Friday, June 9.
Taking place at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, the competition makes a return after a four-year hiatus and presents an ideal opportunity for Igor Stimac's men to fine-tune their preparations for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup.
The Blue Tigers, who emerged victorious in the inaugural edition of the Intercontinental Cup held in Mumbai in 2018, will be aiming to replicate their success this time around as well.
Mongolia currently hold the lowest FIFA ranking among the teams participating in the tournament, standing at 183.
Despite limited friendly matches due to the challenging environment in Ulaanbaatar, the world's coldest capital city, the Blue Wolves have shown recent progress and achieved significant milestones.
Recently, they reached the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers by defeating Brunei Darussalam 3-2 on aggregate before edging past both Myanmar and Kyrgyz Republic by 1-0 scorelines. They also secured a 2-0 victory against Yemen in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.
Meanwhile, Sunil Chhetri and Co. will enter the clash as the clear favourites with a higher ranking and home advantage. The Blue Tigers have had ample time to recoup and recover after the recently concluded club football season. Igor Stimac's men will now be eager to prove their superiority on the field.
India vs Mongolia: Details of the Intercontinental Cup clash
Match: India vs Mongolia, Game 2, Intercontinental Cup
Timing: June 9, 7.30 pm IST
Location: Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
India's squad for Intercontinental Cup 2023
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, and Gurmeet Singh.
Defenders: Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Sandesh Jhingan, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Mehtab Singh, and Rahul Bheke.
Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Ashique Kuruniyan, Rohit Kumar, Udanta Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Jeakson Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Lalengmawia Ralte, Lallianzuala Chhangte, Rowllin Borges and Nandhakumar Sekar.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali, and Ishan Pandita.
Head Coach: Igor Stimac.
India vs Mongolia: Where will the Intercontinental Cup clash be telecast?
The Intercontinental Cup game between India and Mongolia will be telecast on the Start Sports 2 and Star Sports 2 HD from 7.30 pm IST.
India vs Mongolia: Where will the Intercontinental Cup clash be livestreamed?
The tie between India and Mongolia will also available for livestream on Disney+Hotstar and JioTV from 7.30 pm IST.
