Thailand friendly will be a good test before facing Hong Kong, says Wangjam
The 24-year-old discusses the team's preparations ahead of their two fixtures in June.
Indian football team midfielder Suresh Singh Wangjam believes the friendly against Thailand will be a good opportunity for the team to assess themselves ahead of their AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifying clash against Hong Kong.
The Blue Tigers are currently training in Kolkata ahead of their two matches in June.
India will face Hong Kong on June 10 in their second group-stage match of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers Final Round. Before that, the team, coached by Manolo Marquez, will take on Thailand in an international friendly on June 4.
Wangjam sees the Thailand game as the perfect opportunity to fine-tune the squad’s rhythm and build momentum heading into the all-important encounter against Hong Kong.
"The good thing is that we will be playing a friendly against Thailand, who are a similar opponent, in my opinion," Wangjam said in an interview with the-aiff.com.
"We got 15 to 20 days of break after the domestic season, and we started our camp on the 18th of this month. We're getting into form day by day, and it's very important to play an international friendly match before Hong Kong. So, it will be a very good test for us and we will know where we are,” he added.
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Group C is delicately poised, with all four teams sitting on one point and an identical goal difference after a goalless opening round.
With only the group winner earning a spot at the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027, the path to qualification is anything but easy.
Despite a disappointing stalemate against Bangladesh at home, the Bengaluru FC midfielder is focused on the bigger picture. He stressed the importance of staying focused and taking it one game at a time as India aim to qualify for Asia’s premier tournament for a third consecutive edition.
"If you ask any player or staff, the long-term goal is to qualify for the Asian Cup, but we have to take it game by game. For now, we are only focusing on Hong Kong. The fans are always behind us. Just be with us through thick and thin.
"Hong Kong are in good form, but we will be just focusing on ourselves. We have been analysing our opponents and we'll stick to our plan and see what happens when we go out and play against them," Wangjam commented.
