Football friendlies: India and China to clash after 21 years
The two most populous nations in the world will be meeting on the football field after a prolonged wait of 21 years. India face China today in an international friendly. Notably, these two nations had last met in the Nehru Cup in 1997. This is the first time in the history of sport that India will play a friendly on Chinese soil.
Constantine has confirmed Jhingan as the captain
Kerala Blasters defender Sandesh Jhingan will captain the Indian side. "I think he is going to be one of the leaders for India going forward. Keeping the magnitude of the game in mind, I believe he deserves to lead the team," said manager Stephen Constantine.
How have the two teams been performing recently?
China have been going through a rough patch of late, losing to Thailand (0-2) and Qatar (0-1), and drawing with Bahrain (0-0). India, on the other side, have seen a fine run of form where they have won twice against Kenya, (2-0 and 3-0), but lost to New Zealand. Since the match is being hosted by China, they are the clear favorites tonight.
When and where to watch the match?
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 5:05 PM IST and will be telecast on Star Sports. It can also be live-streamed on Hotstar and Jio TV.
Comments from Stephen Constantine ahead of the match
The head coach of the Indian team, Constantine acknowledged that China are a good side, but also made it clear that India will be on the lookout for a win. He said that before the Asian Cup 2019, a win would be a major step in the right direction. "If we don't win, we will take the positives out of the game" he said.
