Savio to rest Sunil, Dika, Nirmal

New Delhi: The Indian National Football Team would be taking on a strong Oman side in an International Friendly at the Sultan Qaboos, Sports Complex Stadium, in Muscut on Thursday (February 23). The kick-off is slated for 1.30pm (3pm IST) and the match would be telecast live on Ten Action Plus.

The match would be a part of India’s preparation for the forthcoming AFC Challenge Cup to be held in Kathmandu n March. India have another International Friendly slated against Azerbaizan on February 27 in Dubai.

But National Coach Savio Mediera isn’t willing to risk fielding a full-strength side. Keeping in mind the future challenges ahead he has decided to rest AIFF Player-of-the-Year Sunil Chhetri, the livewire Lalrindika Ralte and stopper Nirmal Chhetri. “All of them have some niggles. We are here to prepare for the AFC Challenge Cup. I don’t want to risk them in an International Friendly against Oman. The more time they get, the more will they recover,” Savio said.

In fact, Savio won’t stay away from experimenting a bit. “We have plenty of young talented players who are eager to perform at the big stage. Our emphasis would be to find the right mix of players keeping our future endeavors in mind,” he maintained.

For the record, Oman who are ranked 95 on the FIFA ladder have been the winners of the 2009 Gulf Cup of Nations. “They are a superior side. They are much more technically equipped. We need to keep in mind they would be playing on their home ground and would have a home support,” Savio added.

The Oman team coached by former French International Paul le Guen have galaxy of stars to choose from. For Oman, the match serves as a preparation for their World Cup Qualifier against Thailand.

By Upender Singh