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The Indian men's senior team returns to action on Wednesday, March 22, in the first match of the Hero Tri-Nation Tournament against Myanmar at the Khuman Lampak Main Stadium in Imphal.
Coming just off the back of their respective Indian Super League (ISL) campaigns, the Indian players will be eager to build on that momentum in the national colors.
The match will provide an opportunity for Igor Stimac to have a look at the kind of team he wants to build going into the future.
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In the last international window in September last year, India had an underwhelming outing, where they secured a draw against Singapore, but fell to a comprehensive 3-0 defeat against Vietnam.
However, with the AFC Asian Cup 2023 approaching thick and fast, the Blues Tigers will be eager to roar into the tournament with momentum on their side.
Meanwhile, Myanmar, who are ranked 53 places below their opponents in the FIFA rankings, have an underwhelming record in their last 11 matches. They ended up losing nine of those outings and had two draws.
Michael Feichtenbeiner will be managing his first match for the Chinthe and will try to get a good look at the talent at their disposal.
India vs Myanmar: Starting XIs for the Hero Tri-Nation tournament clash
Given that Gurpreet Singh Sandhu just played an excruciating ISL final on Saturday, Amrinder Singh will guard the net for India. Meanwhile, Mehtab Singh is set to make his debut for the Blue Tigers. In-form Lallianzuala Chhangte will partner the veteran and talismanic Sunil Chhetri upfront.
India: Amrinder Singh (GK); Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Chinglesana Singh, Akash Mishra; Bipin Singh, Anirudh Thapa, Jeakson Singh, Mohammed Yasir, Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Sunil Chhetri.
Myanmar: Sann Sat Naing (GK); Hein Phyo Win, Ye Min Thu, Nanda Kyaw, Lwin Moe Aung, Aung Thu, MG MG Lwin (C), Wai Lin Aung, Thiha Htet Aung, Hein Htet Aung, and Than Paing.
India vs Myanmar: Quotes from the coaches
India head coach Igor Stimac:
"We’ve got a few challenges, so far. Many of our players are exhausted after playing the ISL Final, and they are in the recovery process. We need fresh legs. Our squad has 23 players, so you can definitely expect many from Manipur to start tomorrow."
Myanmar head coach Michael Feichtenbeiner:
“We respect India and it is a great challenge for us but at this moment Myanmar football, we focus on ourselves, and we focus on our performance. In the short time I took over the team and in my preparation for my new team I saw many talents in Myanmar football, so I am confident we can go and do a good performance tomorrow."
