"We want to be a team which is difficult to play": Gurpreet Singh Sandhu & Khalid Jamil share thoughts ahead of India vs Panama

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Blue Tigers & La Marea Roja.

India are all set to have their cornerstone FIFA window, and it all starts on the 25th of September with their match against the 44th ranked Panama national football team at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium, Bengaluru.

The match between India and Panama will be the first-ever official meeting between the two sides. The La Marea Roja, having formerly featured in the FIFA World Cup 2026, brings in a formidable quality and experience and will be acting as a dress rehearsal ahead of the highly anticipated India vs Brazil encounter.

For India, locking horns with a CONCACAF side offers vital exposure and a realistic introspection of India’s current footballing state against the global leaders.

Ahead of the highly anticipated India vs Panama match, India coach Khalid Jamil and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu addressed the media.

Here is a detailed report of the pre-match press conference of the FIFA international friendly match between India and Panama.

Thoughts on the game

India head coach Khalid Jamil and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu shared their thoughts on the Panama clash admitting that, it will be a good opportunity for the Blue Tigers to play against a FIFA World Cup nation.

“It is very good to play with a good team, it is our pleasure to play with them, they have a quality coach, they have quality players, so we are looking forward to play with them,” said India head coach Khalid Jamil.

“I think coach has said almost all of it, I think for us as players, this is a good opportunity to play against a team who has just come from the World Cup and they played really good in the World Cup, like obviously I was watching the games as well, so they have good players like coach said and it is going to be a very good test for us, especially at home.

Playing in Bengaluru is a great opportunity as well for people like me and obviously we have Ryan and Ashique as well who represent BFC, so it’s a good chance for us to again play an international game over here. So yeah, really looking forward for tomorrow, I am very excited,” said Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

Where does Gurpreet and Khalid put the upcoming matches

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Khalid Jamil, having played against different teams throughout their career, were asked where they would put the upcoming matches against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay while comparing it with other tournaments like Asian Cup and matches in different countries, to which they replied.

“It is very difficult to put these games somewhere because we haven’t played them yet. Obviously on paper, these games look really good because of the opponents we are facing. To be honest, every single game has been special because you get to play for your country, and that is the most important thing.

It doesn’t matter who we face, we all want to win the games that we play for our country against anyone. But now we have a great opportunity to face even better opposition than we had before. The feeling is still the same, there is nothing changed in that manner.”

“Like I have said before as well, we have to remember that it is a football match, everyone likes to see the glitter and everything outside of it. But for us as players and obviously as a team, we want to make sure that we get something out of these games, and we do not forget the purpose which is to go out there and play to win.

So that has to be the thing which is unchanged and has been unchanged in my case, in my career so far,” said Gurpreet, putting special mention on his gratitude playing for the national team.

What went through Gurpreet’s mind when the fixtures were released?

When Gurpreet was asked about his reaction to the fixture release and squad inclusion, the veteran goalkeeper expressed surprise and commended the federation for successfully organizing high-profile matches against top international opposition in India.

He also stressed that the team remains fully focused on capitalizing on this opportunity to deliver strong performances than merely enjoying the occasion.

“Obviously, it was something which is unexpected to be honest because this was something which hasn’t happened in at least my playing career.

So, like everyone else, we wanted to see that okay, this is actually happening and kudos to the federation and everyone involved who has pulled off getting these teams to come to India. It’s not like we are going to get big teams to come and play away games especially over here and to convince them, it’s a big thing.”

“Obviously, for me it is a great opportunity because as a player I get to be involved in this. I think the boys are professional enough. Everyone knows what the duty is when you come to the national team. So, it’s not much that I have to say.

It’s all about remembering why we are here and to make sure that we use this opportunity to gain something out of it and not just think about it. We were just a part of it. So, it’s important to remember that we are here to play football and get something out of these games.”

On dropping senior members like Jhingan and Chhangte

When asked about dropping senior players like Jhingan and Chhangte, Khalid Jamil responded that they are most welcome to the squad and dropping them from this squad does not mean that they will not be considered again.

He said that these matches are a good opportunity for the young players to perform and in an objective to build a solid team, he went with a mix of young and senior players.

“Yes, talking about the selection. Yes, I have left some senior players. But it is not like that. We will not take them again. They are most welcome to be back again. And talking about, yes, we are thinking about to build a new team, which is going to play ahead.

We have younger players who need to play more matches. So I have decided to mix with senior players. But yes, our aim is to make a good solid team.”

What would it take for India to reach the FIFA World Cup?

Reflecting on the match, Gurpreet noted that facing Panama, a World Cup playing side, serves as the benchmark for how elite teams operate.

He highlighted that using such high-level fixtures are essential for India to integrate players and making them capable of competing at the highest level.

“It is hard to sum up all those things in one sentence. But I think tomorrow can be a start. I think we can use tomorrow’s game to see what it takes for a World Cup team to operate. Panama obviously qualified for the World Cup, played really good in the World Cup in my opinion. Although the results did not go in their favour, I think they played really good football. And for us, we want to do the same.”

“We want to be a team which is difficult to play and also have great options, be it on the pitch or off the pitch, in terms of people coming in from the bench. And to do that, like the coach said, we need to find new players, create a team that he wants to do. And to do that, we need games. And we use these games to get where we want to go.”

On preparation and tomorrow’s strategy

When asked about the preparations ahead of the match and would India opt for a defensive strategy as they are facing a stronger opponent, Khalid Jamil replied:

“Yes, talking about preparation, everything is fine. We are very thankful. At least, we are thanking the clubs for the reason that we are a little early. And yes, we need time for preparation.

The more time we have, the better we will do. And talking about the game, yes, we have to see. Yes, we are facing a stronger team. At the same time, you cannot defend every time. So, we will definitely be attacking also. According to the situation, we will do that.”

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