<p>With less than a month left for the important AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, India would look to fine-tune their combination in their international football friendly against Palestine here on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Coach Wim Koevermans has added a few new faces and some players who had been in the sidelines for a while in his 23-man squad for the match, hoping to find out who would go to the Myanmar capital of Yangon for the March 2 to 6 AFC Challenge Cup Group A qualifiers.<br /><br />The Dutch tactician has recalled Gurjinder Kumar, Raju Gaikwad, Lalkamal Bho-wmick, Sushil Kumar while C K Vineeth and Arata Izumi made their first forays into the national squad, the latter becoming the first Person of Indian Origin (PIO) to do so.<br /><br />Palestine, who are ranked 152nd in FIFA charts as compared to India’s 166th, have nine players who did national duty in the West Asia Cup last December.<br /><br />For Koevermans, it would be important to win the match as India have not won an international friendly for a long time. India had gone down to Singapore 0-2 last in their last friendly. A win will also give India points in the FIFA rankings as the match will be played on an international friendly day.<br /><br />“Palestine look a very competent side. Nine of their players who had done duty in West Asia Cup in December are in the squad. We have watched them in videos, they are a powerful side,” Koevermans said at the pre-match press conference.<br /><br />“It will be an interesting match for sure,” Koevermans added. Though ranked 14 places below the visitors, India will aim to beat Palestine with a good crowd expected to turn up at the Nehru Stadium, which is hosting an international match after a long time.<br /><br />India’s concern would though be how Sunil Chhetri inspires his team-mates with the captain himself lacking competitive match practice at Sporting Lisbon’s ‘B’ team.<br /><br />It will also have to be seen whether Koevermans gives Japanese-born Izumi some time in the middle, which itself would be history. Izumi, in that case, would become the first PIO to have played for India.</p>
<p>With less than a month left for the important AFC Challenge Cup qualifiers, India would look to fine-tune their combination in their international football friendly against Palestine here on Wednesday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Coach Wim Koevermans has added a few new faces and some players who had been in the sidelines for a while in his 23-man squad for the match, hoping to find out who would go to the Myanmar capital of Yangon for the March 2 to 6 AFC Challenge Cup Group A qualifiers.<br /><br />The Dutch tactician has recalled Gurjinder Kumar, Raju Gaikwad, Lalkamal Bho-wmick, Sushil Kumar while C K Vineeth and Arata Izumi made their first forays into the national squad, the latter becoming the first Person of Indian Origin (PIO) to do so.<br /><br />Palestine, who are ranked 152nd in FIFA charts as compared to India’s 166th, have nine players who did national duty in the West Asia Cup last December.<br /><br />For Koevermans, it would be important to win the match as India have not won an international friendly for a long time. India had gone down to Singapore 0-2 last in their last friendly. A win will also give India points in the FIFA rankings as the match will be played on an international friendly day.<br /><br />“Palestine look a very competent side. Nine of their players who had done duty in West Asia Cup in December are in the squad. We have watched them in videos, they are a powerful side,” Koevermans said at the pre-match press conference.<br /><br />“It will be an interesting match for sure,” Koevermans added. Though ranked 14 places below the visitors, India will aim to beat Palestine with a good crowd expected to turn up at the Nehru Stadium, which is hosting an international match after a long time.<br /><br />India’s concern would though be how Sunil Chhetri inspires his team-mates with the captain himself lacking competitive match practice at Sporting Lisbon’s ‘B’ team.<br /><br />It will also have to be seen whether Koevermans gives Japanese-born Izumi some time in the middle, which itself would be history. Izumi, in that case, would become the first PIO to have played for India.</p>