After going winless in three matches under head coach Manolo Marquez, the Indian men’s football team is set to face Malaysia in an international friendly on November 18 in Hyderabad, as announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday. Previously, the AIFF had stated that the match would take place on November 19, but they have now extended it by a day and confirmed the venue.
“The FIFA Friendly match between India and Malaysia will be held on November 18, 2024, at Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad, Telangana,” said the AIFF in their statement.
FIFA International match window
The period from November 11 to 19 marks the last FIFA international match window for this year. During this time, clubs are required to release players for national duties for international matches scheduled within the FIFA window.
Gachibowli Stadium recently hosted the Intercontinental Cup tournament last month, where India drew 0-0 against Mauritius on September 3 and suffered a 0-3 defeat to Syria, the eventual champions, on September 9. Following that, the Indian team travelled to Vietnam for a friendly match on October 12, which ended in a 1-1 draw.
Marquez’s challenge in the Indian team
The upcoming match on November 18 will be Marquez’s fourth game in charge of the national team. He will be aiming for a victory against a lower-ranked Malaysia, although it may prove challenging. Malaysia is currently ranked 133rd in the FIFA rankings, while India sits at 125th.
India’s disappointing form
The last encounter between the two teams took place in October 2023 during the Merdeka Cup semifinal, where India lost to Malaysia with a score of 2-4.After going winless in three matches under head coach Manolo Marquez, the Indian men’s football team is set to face Malaysia in an international friendly on November 18 in Hyderabad, as announced by the All India Football Federation (AIFF) on Wednesday. Previously, the AIFF had stated that the match would take place on November 19, but they have now advanced it by a day and confirmed the venue.
The last encounter between the two teams took place in October 2023 during the Merdeka Cup semifinal, where India lost to Malaysia with a score of 2-4.
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