India to Face Vietnam in Friendly Match on October 12
The Indian senior men’s football team will face Vietnam in a one-off friendly match on October 12 at the Thien Truong Stadium in Nam Dinh, Vietnam. The match will count towards the FIFA Rankings.
The friendly was originally scheduled to be a tri-nation tournament, with India also facing Lebanon on October 12. However, Lebanon withdrew from the tournament, prompting the All-India Football Federation (AIFF) to request the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to reschedule the Vietnam-India match to October 12, which was accepted by the VFF.
India will assemble in Kolkata on October 5 and have a training session on October 6. Manolo Marquez and his squad will travel to Vietnam on October 7, where they will continue training.
Marquez announced a list of 26 probables on Monday. The final squad of 23 players will be announced before the team’s travel to Vietnam.
This will be the second event that the Indian senior national football team will be played under Manolo Marquez, who was appointed to the post succeeding Igor Stimac on July 20, 2024. The Intercontinental Cup was the 56-year-old Marquex’s first assignment as India coach.
India will be looking to build on their recent good form, which has seen them win the SAFF Championship and qualify for the AFC Asian Cup. Vietnam, meanwhile, are ranked 97th in the FIFA Rankings, 10 places below India.
The match will be a good test for both teams as they prepare for the upcoming AFC Asian Cup. India will be hoping to continue their good form and Vietnam will be looking to improve their FIFA Ranking.