NEW DELHI, May 26 (IANS) India’s U-17 men’s national team prepares to face FC Augsburg U-17 in a practice match in Augsburg, Germany, on Friday.
The game will be the third practice game the Blue Colts will play during their prep camp in Germany. Earlier this month, India played two more matches against U-16s and U-19s from VfB Stuttgart (1-3) and SSV Reutlingen U-16s (6-1).
“We had a few days to train after our last match, and we are ready for our last two matches here in Germany,” said India coach Bibiano Fernandes.
India’s U-17s have been on an extensive preparatory road for the U-17 Asian Cup (which will be held next month in Thailand), setting up camp in Spain for a month before moving to Stuttgart, Germany on May 16. They played two matches in Stuttgart, and after attending a number of Bundesliga matches, the blue team arrived in Augsburg for their last week of training in Germany.
“We had a very productive time in Germany. The facilities were great, and the boys learned a lot from the different sessions given by the coaches in Stuttgart,” said Fernandez.
The India Under-17s arrived in Augsburg on Thursday, and will play their first match against the hosts on Friday.
“Augsburg is of course one of the best clubs in Europe, and we expect their Under-17s to be at a very high level as well. It will be a good game, but the players are getting better every day,” said Fernandes.
The Blue Colts, after completing their preparations in Germany, will head to Thailand two weeks before the AFC U-17 Cup, for more training and acclimatization. They will face Vietnam (June 17), Uzbekistan (June 20) and Japan (June 23) in Group D.
– Jans
ak/
