AIFF Media Team

NEW DELHI: The India U-17 Men’s Team are set to play their last training game in Germany against a mix of U-17 and U-18 boys from TSV Schwaben Augsburg at the Paul Renz Akademie, in Augsburg, on Monday, May 29, 2023, which kicks-off at 2.30 pm IST.

The India U-17s are on an exposure tour currently. First, they were in Spain for a month, where they played the junior teams of top La Liga clubs like Atletico de Madrid, Real Madrid, Getafe, etc, before shifting base to Germany for two weeks. The India U-17s have played VfB Stuttgart U-16/U-19s (0-2), SSV Reutlingen U-16s (6-1), and FC Augsburg U-17 (3-1) in their three training matches in Germany.

India head coach Bibiano Fernandes said, “The last two months have been filled with intensive training, and a lot of information has been disbursed to the boys, which will surely help them improve their game. We will now approach our last game in Germany with the same mentality as the rest of the matches, and try to finish our time here on a winning note.”

The India U-17s will take part in the AFC U-17 Asian Cup next month in Thailand, after securing qualification for the same last year. They will face Vietnam (June 17), Uzbekistan (June 20), and Japan (June 23) in their three matches in Group D.

“One can see the improvement in the boys in the last few months. We have been in a very long camp since our time in Goa, and playing in Spain and Germany have also helped the boys understand how technically and physically strong teams play, and now we need to set up against such units,” said Fernandes. “I am sure this will put them in good steam for Thailand.”

The Blue Colts will shift base to Thailand on June 1, where they will train while acclimatising to the local conditions for two weeks, before the start of the AFC U-17 Asian Cup.