Indian football team in high-security bubble ahead of Bangladesh clash in AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers

The Indian football team has not registered a win in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers so far.

The Indian Football Team will be playing their AFC Asian Cup 2027 final round qualifier against Bangladesh today at the National Stadium in Dhaka. The match will be telecast on the Fancode app in India from 7:30 PM (IST). But the biggest concern about this match is that it will be played amid the ongoing political tension between India and Bangladesh.

Since arriving in Dhaka on Saturday, the Indian team has been confined under tight security, from the hotel to the Armed Police Battalion Ground for training and the National Stadium for the official session on Monday morning.

“There are police forces outside the hotel at all times.” “Police vehicles and a motorcade escort the team bus. Even for Monday’s training session, there were more than usual security personnel,” a team personell was quoted speaking to Times of India

But the people of Bangladesh are very excited about this match as both countries will face each other on Bangladesh soil after 22 years. Officials said that the buzz around the country about this match is very high, as all tickets have already been sold out. They are also expecting a crowd of around 22,000 to witness this exciting clash.

Khalid Jamil starts India’s rebuilding phase

As India have already been knocked out of the Qualifiers, Coach Khalid Jamil would like to do several experiments with his players and hopes that this heightened security does not distract his team.

India would like to end their campaign on a high note as well. Khalid Jamil came to the press conference with his team’s young goalkeeper, Sahil, and addressed the media.

A lot of new faces are to be featured in the team, including goalkeeper Sahil, who is just 19 years old. He was guarding the Indian goal at the AFC U-17 Asian Cup two years ago. He is now the third-choice goalkeeper after the veteran Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and young Hrithik Tiwari, and is also waiting for his Senior team debut.

Other than Sahil, six more players can make their debuts as well for the senior team, if given the chance. Brison Fernandes and Macarton Louis Nickson, who have played only two matches for the senior team so far, will also be eager to play this high-voltage encounter.

Khalid Jamil would also like to play Ryan Williams, the Australian striker who has surrendered his citizenship to take up an Indian passport.

Although he got his NOC from the Australian Football Federation, Williams is still waiting for his clearances from FIFA, according to various sources. Also, the deadline to announce the matchday squad was 11:59 PM (IST) yesterday, which has passed already. So we may not see Ryan Williams play today.

According to the TOI, Goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu told the media, before the game, that, “It’s always a big game for them and for the people of Bangladesh because it’s against India.” “We need to be mentally and physically prepared; it’s always a tough game. It might not be the nicest game to watch. It might be scrappy, and we as a team need to be ready for any challenge.”

Khalid and his players would like to give the Indian football fans a good competitive display of football today, and their campaign on a high note, although they have been knocked out of the qualifiers.

With Sunil Chhetri not playing this time, players like Chhangte, Mahesh, and Vikram Partap need to step up and register their first victory in the 2027 AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers.

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