India U-17 World Cup squad set for second European exposure tour

The team will play a series of club teams and the Lazio Cup in the month long long sojourn...

The India U-17 World Cup squad are all set to embark on a second exposure tour of Europe as they continue their build-up to the U-17 FIFA World Cup to be held in the country later this year.

It is also his first major assignment with the team for new manager Luis Norton de Matos. The former Portugal international took over from Nicolai Adam earlier in the year after the German was ousted following allegations he physically abused players.

The tour which begins on 10th April will see the team play Portugal and Italy-U17 before taking part in the annual Lazio Cup which will include teams from Italian heavyweights Napoli and Roma. They are also likely to play the Paris St. Germain Youth Team as part of the schedule.

The Lazio Cup is an annual youth team tournament hosted by the Italian outfit and inckudes a mix of national youth teams and other club sides from the country and from aroud the world. In the past editions the trophy has been won by Siena, Partizan Belgrade, Sparta Prague, Qatar Aspire Academy, Partizan Belgrade, Inter (three consecutive years) and Fiorentina.

The Junior Colts have been busy preparing for the World Cup over the past couple of years and went on a 3-month exposure tour to Europe through the early part of 2016 before returning to play the AFC U-16 Championship and the BRICS Cup back home. They finished the year with the Granatkin Cup finishing last in the 16-team tournament.

The latest tour is a vital opportunity for de Matos to learn about and experiment with the permutations and combinations with the big event set for October this year.