The Indian men’s football team are slated to play Nepal in an international friendly in Mumbai on June 6 after the pull-out of Lebanon earlier.
An announcement on the Nepal federation’s website stated, “The All India Football Federation approached the ANFA for the friendly. The friendly will be benefitting both the teams as they are preparing for the second matches of the AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifiers.”
This will be important match practice for the Blue Tigers who face Kygyz Republic on June 13 in an AFC Asian Cup 2019 qualifier. They won their first match against Myanmar 1-0.
The Lebanese Football Association on Tuesday expressed their regret as they backed out of sending their national team to play India in an International Friendly in Mumbai on June 7, the All India Football Federation had informed earlier.
In March, Lebanon had confirmed their willingness to visit India for the tie at the Mumbai football arena. The AIFF had stated earlier that it was currently looking for a replacement.
The Indian team are currently ranked 100 in the world, after two decades and a win in their second qualifier will put them in an ideal situation to qualify out of the group.