India will be looking to start their campaign with a win as the host nation take on UAE  in their AFC U-16 championship in Group A at  Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Margao today.  Iran and Saudi Arabia will play the inaugural match in the same group.

The  host nation all set to make their seventh appearance at the AFC  U -16 Championship.The ‘Blue Colts’ will be expecting the Home Conditions to help them better the previous best achievement in the tournament. India’s previous best was quarter finals in 2002.

After finishing last in AIFF Youth Cup Indian boys have undergone tree months successful training in Germany and Norway.This training program has helped our young boys to raise their game a bit.

“We have qualified in this tournament on merit and are now looking forward to qualify for the World Cup U-17 next year in India on merit by reaching the semi-finals of this tournament,” said India’s chief coach Nicolai Adam.

Also read :“I have no idea about my rivals”, says UAE U-16 coach prior to India game tomorrow
“We are placed in a tough group along side UAE, Iran and Saudi Arabia and it is always good to play against strong opponents and see where we lie as we prepare ourselves for the U-17 World Cup,” he added.

However the absence of key players is sign of worry for India. As some of the key players are injured while other are having date of birth problems.It can prove to be setback for India as they look forward to reach to the semifinals in order to qualify for next years u-17 world cup.

On the other side UAE who are ranked much higher than team India  were the first team to arrive in Panaji to get used to the conditions. Before this encounter The UAE team has  been to Malaysia  to prepare for this tournament. When asked about their opponent ,”We are going to play India tomorrow. But I have no idea about my rivals. We have prepared to our strengths and we’ll give our best to churn out the best possible result,” said the coach of UAE at team’s press conference yesterday.

India who are ranked  at 152 will surely be having tough task ahead of them in opening clash against UAE who are ranked 74 in FIFA rankings. Also injuries to key players such as Reamsochung Chongompipa Aimol who fractured his leg in the last practice match in Germany will be big concern for India.

The match will start at 7 PM in Fatorda on Wednesday (September 15, 2016) and will be telecast live on Star Sports network.

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When asked about expectation from this tournament, India U-16 Coach Nicolai Adams explained, “It’s not a secret, I signed with India to prepare a team for World cup next year. I have one more year to do that. Our very next task is to qualify for the world cup on merit; you know that means to reach semi finals. It will be important for us since it would mean we belong in the world cup on merit and not because we are being host.” The semifinalists from the 16 Teams would earn a direct entry to the FIFA U-17 World Cup in India next year.

“I know it would be sensational if we could do that, especially when we are missing 5 players. It would be very difficult, but I am not person who would run from that, no. The target would remain same, and we will see where it takes us. We will put our best effort.” He added.

The coach seemed happy with preparations for the championship, “We have had our exposure tour in Germany and Norway for the past three months and we have played 19 matches so far. We are looking forward to start our campaign and hope for the best,”

ALSO READ: India’s U-16 coach Nicolai Adam has been left to observe a “senseless” AFC rule that deprives him the opportunity to field at least four players.

Nicolai also stressed that he is taking one match at a time.

Like all other team coaches, Nicolai adams seemed vary of the opposition, “You ask the Coach from UAE and he will tell you that they take us seriously. If you ask me, I will also answer the same,” he quipped.

Ranked at 152, India will face UAE, who are ranked 74 in the FIFA rankings. But United Arab Emirates Coach Abdel Majeed believed that FIFA Rankings will count no significance in Youth Football. He said a lot of teams have good young players that don’t reflect the senior team rankings.

“Honestly speaking, at this age, the Senior Team Ranking hardly matters. You can find many good Teams at this age group but at the senior level, they fail to perform,” said the UAE coach at the Official Pre-Tournament Press Conference.

“The Senior Team Rankings of UAE and India won’t come into play when this bunch of boys hit the ground tomorrow,” he added.

“We are going to play India tomorrow. But I have no idea about my rivals. We have prepared to our strengths and we’ll give our best to churn out the best possible result,” said the coach of UAE who were Runners-up in the Championship back in 2002. “We began our preparation from June. We had an exposure trip to Malaysia where we played four matches. Now we’re here to test ourselves.”

On being asked about their target from this tournament, the UAE gaffer added, “Everyone has set a target here. We too have come with our target. We’ll look from match to match and first of all, we will pounce on to reach the next round.”

Nicolai also mentioned the injured Reamsochung Chongompipa Aimol who fractured his leg in the last practice match in Germany, “We will miss him. He has not recovered. He had 49 stitches and at that moment it was pretty bad. But he will recover and we are there for him”

The UAE team was the first among the 16 Teams to have landed in Goa about a week ago and will provide a stern test for the Indian colts.

The match will start at 7 PM in Fatorda on Wednesday (September 15, 2016) and will be telecast live on Star Sports network.

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