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India to play two friendly matches

Indian national team

Indian national team

The Indian national team will play two preparation matches ahead of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

The Indian team will face the Maldives on July 10 and AFC Asian Cup 2011 hosts Qatar on July 17. Both matches will be played away.

Tathagata Mukherjee, AIFF National Team Director: “The qualifying matches for the 2014 FIFA World Cup against UAE are a challenging proposition for the team. Hence, it is imperative the national team prepares the right manner with enough number of matches.”

“The away games against Qatar and Maldives would be important to prepare for the first-leg against UAE. We are looking forward to the game against Qatar which will be played under similar climatic conditions as that of UAE,” Mukherjee continued.

“The Indian Team will also undergo an acclimatisation camp in the Gulf prior to the first-leg game. AIFF understands it needs to be strategically planned. We will leave no stone unturned to create an upset,” he added.

India will face the UAE in the first leg of the 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifiers on July 23rd, while the return-leg is scheduled for July 28.