AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers: India face Hong Kong, Afghanistan, Cambodia in closing spherical

The Indian males’s soccer crew has been drawn alongside Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup 2023 third-round qualification on the official draw ceremony which was carried out on the Asian Football Confederation Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Thursday.

The leg which is able to kick-off on June 8 will probably be performed on the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in June with India taking up Cambodia on June 8. India’s subsequent two matches are towards Afghanistan on June 11, and Hong Kong on June 14.

The collaborating 24 groups have been divided into 6 teams with the six group winners and the perfect 5 2nd best-placed groups incomes a ticket to the AFC Asian Cup China 2023.

The second we have all been ready for! The #BlueTigers have been positioned in Group D of the @afcasiancup Final Round Qualifiers

Group D

#ACQ2023 #AgainTheBlue #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/iCv34tW4ew

— Indian Football Team (@IndianFootball) February 24, 2022

The Blue Tigers had beforehand made it to the third and closing spherical of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers after ending third in Group E within the second spherical of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and AFC Asian Cup China 2023 Joint Qualifiers.

“Draws can always be good or bad. But we need to do our job,” Head Coach Igor Stimac acknowledged instantly after the draw as per an AIFF launch. “We plan to begin our preparatory camp in Kolkata from the first week of May. But players from Mumbai City FC won’t be available before May 29 owing to their club commitments in the AFC Champions League.

Furthermore, most likely ATK Mohun Bagan is also likely to be involved in the AFC Cup, and their players will also be unavailable till May 25,” Stimac knowledgeable. “And there are almost 12 or more players from both the clubs who are part of the National Team.” “In such a situation, we need to check on other players, prepare them and wait for the others to join. The situation is very similar to March prior to the Friendlies,” he added.

The Blue Tigers are taking part in Bahrain and Belarus on March 23, and March 26 respectively in two International Friendlies. Commenting concerning the groups within the group, the Head Coach urged everybody to “take it seriously to get the job done.

“Afghanistan have at all times been a tough opponent. They include gamers who’ve expertise taking part in in worldwide leagues, and Hong Kong will even be strengthened when their three gamers from Brazil, perhaps one every from the UK, and New Zealand be part of them, together with a number of others who play overseas. But we have to justify our place as a pot 1 crew,” the Head Coach averred. “We are taking part in at house, and hopefully with the followers cheering us from the stands, the gamers will probably be additional motivated,” he added.