India head coach Manolo Marquez hopes his team can translate the progress they've made on the training pitch into a positive result when they face Malaysia in a friendly match on Monday.

The two sides will square off at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad, with India looking to end their winless streak in what will be their final game of the year. The Blue Tigers will also be aiming to secure their first win under the Spaniard, having drawn two games and suffered one defeat since he took charge in July.

Following this match, India will return to action in March for the final round of the AFC Asian Cup 2027 qualifiers. Currently ranked 125th in the FIFA Rankings, India will be placed in Pot 1 when the draw for the qualifiers takes place in March 2025. They will be hoping to gain some much-needed confidence from this friendly against Malaysia, who are ranked eight spots lower than India.

“It's a friendly game, but it will be good to test our level against a Pot 2 team in the qualifiers. We’ve gone a long time without a win, so obviously, we want to win. We want to show the improvement we've made in every training session,” Marquez said in the pre-match press conference.

India’s most recent outing was a 1-1 draw against Vietnam in October, a much-improved performance compared to their previous two matches at the Intercontinental Cup, where they struggled offensively. India played out a goalless draw against Mauritius before losing to Syria in the final. Marquez highlighted the importance of eliminating errors, like those made against Vietnam, and expressed confidence in his side’s ability to deliver a strong performance.

“Football is about attack, defense, transitions, and set pieces. We need to improve in all areas. For example, people say we played a great second half against Vietnam. I agree, but we still made some big mistakes that almost cost us the game. We need to work on that. The team that makes fewer mistakes usually wins. We will try to play a good game with fewer mistakes than Malaysia. We know the style of Malaysia; I know their coach very well. They play good football, and it will be a tough game for both teams,” Marquez explained.

The match will be streamed live on Jio Cinema and telecast on Sports 18.

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2024-2025