Panaji: Ahead of its International friendly against Malaysia on October 18, Indian senior men's team head coach Manolo Márquez feels that the upcoming match would be a good test for two sides as both aims to qualify for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.
"We will play against Malaysia, a team that, like us, is also in the fight to qualify for the Asian Cup. So, it will be a good test for both teams," said the Spaniard.
Márquez has already named 26 probables for the friendly. The list includes potential debutants like Mumbai City FC defender Hmingthanmawia Ralte, NorthEast United FC midfielder Jithin MS, Kerala Blasters FC midfielder Vibin Mohanan and Chennaiyin FC forward Irfan Yadwad. Back from his ACL injury, Sandesh Jhingan also returns to the Indian squad for the first time since January's Asian Cup.
"We have called 26 players and with every window, we are getting closer to the group that we want to have. We have two priorities, the first is to be in Pot 1 for the Asian Cup Qualifiers, which we are practically very close to. The second is to arrive in the best condition for the qualifiers in March because that's going to be our first official match," said Márquez.
India are currently ranked 125th (1133 points) after climbing a place following the draw with Vietnam.
Malaysia, who are India's only rivals for the Pot 1 berth, are eight places down in 133rd (1113 points).
Malaysia will play another friendly against Laos on November 14 before travelling to Hyderabad.
The November window presents the last chance for the teams to finalise their FIFA rankings ahead of the December 9 draw for the AFC Asian Cup Final Round Qualifiers.
India will begin their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers campaign on March 25, 2025.
