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The Indian National Football Team is back in action roughly two months after their underwhelming exit from the AFC Asian Cup 2024. Igor Stimac's men will look to get their 2024 back on track with the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qualifier fixture against Afghanistan.
The match is set to be played at the Damac Stadium in Abha, Saudi Arabia, on March 22, with the kickoff slated at 12:30 am IST. The Damac is situated at a staggering height of 2470 metres above sea level, meaning that acclimatization would be key in preparing for the game.
For context, the highest cricket stadium accredited by the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Dharamshala Cricket Ground is only 1457 metres above sea level.
Igor Stimac spoke about the unusual kick-off at 10 pm local time in the pre-match press conference:
"Since our match will kick off at 22:00 here, we have moved our daily schedule forward a few hours so that players can adjust their biorhythm accordingly."
"I don't expect miracles from anyone" - Igor Stimac on the new call-ups to the national team squad
Three talents from the Indian Super League (ISL) have made their way into the Blue Tigers' squad for the two back-to-back qualifiers against Afghanistan. Amey Ranawade has impressed for Odisha FC after his reunion with Sergio Lobera for the Kalinga Warriors.
Igor Stimac had to say the following on the 26-year-old:
"Amey was in our plans a long time ago before he suffered an injury. He is an intelligent young player with good ability and needs time to start picking up experience at this level."
Meanwhile, Jay Gupta has emerged as one of the finds of the season under Manolo Marquez at FC Goa. Imran Khan of Jamshedpur FC has also been called up for the first time by Igor Stimac.
He said:
"Jay has shown interesting offensive capabilities but we still need to work a lot on his defensive shape and positioning. Imran, we believe, can add something extra to the competition for midfield positions. He’s been consistent in taking shots from a distance and creating danger so we need to check how good he can be at this level."
The Croatian tactician also asserted:
"I don’t expect miracles from anyone. We believe in process and patient work. This will serve us to see how they respond to our demands and if we can count on them in the future."
With the I-League running simultaneously with the ISL, many talents have emerged from the second tier of Indian football as well. Stimac spoke about how Mahesh Gawli, the assistant coach, has been focusing on the Indian talent in the I-League and suggesting a few for potential Indian team callups in the future.
He said:
"My dear Mahesh (Gawli) is responsible for following I-League players and I wanted to see some of the boys he mentioned to me play live like David (Lalhlansanga) and Bikash (Sagolsem) of Mohammedan (Sporting), Sourav of Gokulam (Kerala FC) and Edmund (Lalrindika) of Inter Kashi. I'm happy with what I have seen and we will keep following their progress."
With three points picked up against Kuwait in the first FIFA WCQ fixture followed by a 3-0 loss to Qatar, India have to get their campaign back on track and the Lions of Khorasan, ranked 158 by FIFA, present a wonderful opportunity for the same.
The Blue Tigers will have to capitalize on both games to keep their distant dream of reaching the next round alive. Six points from two games will give them a major boost in confidence ahead of the sterner games against Kuwait and Qatar in June 2024.
