Blue Tigers are hoping to end a long winless streak on the road.
India coach Wim Koeverman’s admits he is relishing the challenge of taking on Tajikistan and ending his side’s nine-year wait for an away win.
The Blue Tigers haven’t tasted victory on foreign soil since 2004 when they managed to beat Kuwait 3-2, but head into the game against The Crown having contested just a single international friendly in 2013 – a 2-4 loss against Palestine in February.
Koeverman’s has stressed the need to organise more matches against other countries in order to aid the national side in improving it’s world ranking and the one-time capped former Holland striker has got his wish against a nation 31 places higher on the rankings ladder.
Tajikistan will certainly give India a stern exam in their build-up to their defence of SAFF Championships in Kathmandu this Setember, and Koeverman admits he confident his side are up for the fight despite fraught preparations.
“I’m happy with the preparation. It was a bit stressful to find the right training ground but the local people have been very helpful and the ground where we practiced was the best we could locate in the neighbourhood,” he told NDTV.
“It’s good to see the boys back together but the match stays a big challenge for us – we are up against a very strong Tajikistan side.”
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