India announce final squad for the one-off friendly against Vietnam

The Indian senior national team will face Vietnam in an international friendly on October 12 at Thiên Trường Stadium in Nam Định.

The Blue Tigers were originally scheduled to participate in a tri-nation-friendly Vietnam tournament during the October FIFA international window.

However, following Lebanon's withdrawal from the tournament, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) requested the Vietnam Football Federation (VFF) to reschedule the Vietnam-India match for October 12, a proposal that the VFF accepted.

The match, which will kick off at 4:30 PM IST, will be classified as an official friendly and points will count towards the FIFA Rankings.

The Blue Tigers have dropped to 126th in the latest FIFA rankings, while Vietnam currently holds the 116th spot.

Manolo Márquez’s squad had assembled in Kolkata for a training session ahead of their departure to Vietnam on October 7, where they will continue their preparations. Márquez initially announced a provisional list of 26 players on September 30, and the final 23-member squad was confirmed on Sunday, just before the team's departure.

India's 23-member squad for the Vietnam friendly:

Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Amrinder Singh, Vishal Kaith.

Defenders: Nikhil Poojary, Rahul Bheke, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Anwar Ali, Aakash Sangwan, Subhasish Bose, Asish Rai, Mehtab Singh, Roshan Singh Naorem.

Midfielders: Suresh Singh Wangjam, Lalrinliana Hnamte, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Brandon Fernandes, Liston Colaco, Lalengmawia, Lallianzuala Chhangte.

Forwards: Edmund Lalrindika, Farukh Chaudhary, Manvir Singh, Vikram Partap Singh.