The All India Football Federation (AIFF) has announced the preliminary list of players who would represent the country for the match-up against Macau in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. The clash, which is slated to take place in Bengaluru on October 11, will be India’s fourth group fixture of the scheduled six. The Blue Tigers sit comfortably atop Group A having won all their previous three fixtures so far, without having conceded a single goal in the process. With nine points in the bag, and a six-point advantage over their nearest rivals Myanmar, it allows head coach Stephen Constantine room for experimentation.India came away with a 2-0 win when the sides went up against each other in the corresponding fixture at Macau, with striker Balwant Singh grabbing a brace. A win would all but guarantee their qualification from Group A, as they look to extend their unbeaten run to 11 matches.Eleven of the 28 probables have represented India in the AFC U-23 Qualifiers in Doha. The goalkeeping department looks settled with three top custodians. Although, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu should get the nod ahead of Subrata Paul and Amrinder Singh.The defence has the familiar tandem of Sandesh Jhingan and Anas Edathodika, the two no-nonsense centre-backs who have forged a rock-solid partnership at the back. Pritam Kotal and Narayan Das are the other regulars in defence who would operate from the right and left flanks respectively. While Jackichand Singh, Udanta Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh and Halicharan Narzary will man the midfield mantle with a good combination of speed, skill, and stamina.The men in blue also have their regular strike-force at their disposal with the hero of the last match Balwant Singh and the Mizo sniper Jeje Lalpekhlua named on the list alongside India’s captain and all-time top scorer Sunil Chhetri.Considering the fact that India didn’t have it too tough in the away tie against the same team, the home leg of the same fixture should not give Constantine’s men too many problems either as they aim to keep their unbeaten run going.Here’s the full list of the 28 probables for India:Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal KaithDefenders: Pritam Kotal, Lalruatthara, Nishu Kumar, Sandesh Jhingan, Anas Edathodika, Salam Ranjan Singh, Sarthak Golui, Jerry Lalrinzuala, Narayan DasMidfielders: Jackichand Singh, Udanta Singh, Nikhil Poojary, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Rowllin Borges, Mohammed Rafique, Anirudh Thapa, Germanpreet Singh, Halicharan NarzaryForwards: Balwant Singh, Alen Deory, Jeje Lalpekhlua, Sunil Chhetri, Hitesh Sharma, CK Vineeth
