India face Zambia test ahead of SAFF Cup

India play Zambia later today as part of their preparations for the South Asian Football Federation Championships in New Delhi nex month.

Chief Coach Savio Medeira stays aware of the Zambian challenge. "The match is very important for us. This is a great opportunity to gauge where we stand. The Zambian team are ranked higher than us and are an athletic side," Savio said. "It will be a learning experience for the boys ahead of the SAFF Championship."

India go into the game without its two key strikers - Sunil Chhetri and Jeje Lalpekhlua - who are currently on trial with Scottish giants Glasgow Rangers FC. It will be a test of India's attacking options upfront without the duo as Joaquim Abranches, Baljit Singh Sahni and Sushil Kumar Singh will have a chance to prove their worth,

However, Medeira seemed unfazed by the absence of his strikers. "It's true the duo has brought us laurels in the recent past. But this is a great opportunity for the others to prove themselves," Savio Medeira added.

The defenders Govin Singh and Nirmal Chhetri make a comeback to the National squad for the match.

The boys, nevertheless, stay unperturbed by their higher ranked rivals. They look forward to repeat their performance against Malaysia when India got the better of them in a two-match series. But Zambia showed on Saturday in their 4-1 win against a Goa XI what the African side is capable off.

"If we play as a unit – the manner we played against Malaysia, we should pose a challenge for Zambia," quipped Baljit Sahni. "We hope to bank on the crowd support. We will give our 100 percent," he echoed.

The match is slated for a 15.45 IST kick-off with the match to be live on DD Sports.



INDIA

Goalkeepers
Subhashish Roy Chowdhury (Dempo SC), Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (East Bengal Club), Karanjit Singh (Salgaocar SC)

Defenders
Nirmal Chetri (East Bengal Club), Mahesh Gawli (Dempo SC), Sameer Subash Naik (Dempo SC), Debabrata Roy (Dempo SC), Govin Moirangthem Singh (United Sikkim FC), Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh (Churchill Brothers SC), Jaspal Singh Parmar (Salgaocar SC)

Midfielders
Steven Benedic Dias (Churchill Brothers SC), Francis Fernandes (Salgaocar SC), Rocus Lamare (Salgaocar SC), Climax Lawrence (Dempo SC), Clifford Rayes Miranda (Dempo SC), Syed Rahim Nabi (Mohun Bagan AC), Anthony Pereira (Dempo SC), Jewel Raja Sheikh (Mohun Bagan AC), Lalrindika Ralte (Churchill Brothers SC), Baldeep Singh (Pune FC), Mehrajuddin Wadoo (Salgaocar SC)

Forwards
Joaquim Abranches (Dempo SC), Baljit Singh Sahni (East Bengal Club), Chongtham Sushil Kumar Singh (United Sikkim FC)

Officials
Savio Medeira (Chief Coach), Mariano Dias(Assistant Coach), Antonio Marcus Pacheco (Goalkeeping Coach), Mandar Tamhane (Manager), Sandeep Kumar (Doctor), Vishnu Nair (Physio), Pradip Dutta (Fitness Coach), Liaqat Ali (Masseur)