The Indian senior men’s team arrived in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Saturday evening, three days before their AFC Asian Cup 2027 Qualifiers Final Round match against the hosts. Despite both teams being out of contention for qualification, Blue Tigers goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said that the rivalry will remain intact.

“It won’t change the competitiveness or the fierceness of the game. It’s always a big game for them and for the people of Bangladesh because it’s against India,” said Sandhu, who has played three matches against the neighbours at the senior level in the past.

“We need to be prepared mentally and physically because it’s always a tough game. It might not be the nicest game to watch. It might be scrappy, and we as a team need to be ready for any challenge. We need to be tough out there when we face them,” Sandhu added.

Defender Sandesh Jhingan, who captained India when these two sides last met in March’s reverse fixture in Shillong, said, “Our expectations are very simple. Play to our full potential, and stick to the system for as long as we can during the game. If we can do that, the rest will follow. We’ll work hard and hopefully get a win this time.”

Winger Lallianzuala Chhangte is the only player in the current squad who has represented the Blue Tigers on Bangladeshi soil before — that was in the 2018 SAFF Championship, where he scored one goal.

But Jhingan and Sandhu have played in Bangladesh before for Indian age-group teams and Bengaluru FC.

Jhingan recalled, “I’ve played here before with the Under-23s (during the AFC U23 Championship qualifiers in 2015), and also at club level. The people of Bangladesh love watching football, and they support their team really well. We played at the same stadium where we will play this game (the National Stadium in Dhaka).”

As part of preparations for tomorrow's game, the Blue Tigers played a closed-door practice match against Bhutan on last Thursday and defeated them 6-1 in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh played out a 2-2 draw with Nepal in an International Friendly on the same day in Dhaka, and their star midfielder Hamza Choudhury scored both the goals, including an overhead kick goal.

Read More: India's travelling squad for AFC ACQ clash with Bangladesh

Match Details

Fixture: Bangladesh vs India
Date: November 18, 2025
Time: 7:30 PM
Venue: National Stadium, Dhaka
Live Streaming: FanCode