Thailand coach Bibiano Fernandes prepared every scenario so that the U17 Indian players would have the best mentality for the opening match against U17 Vietnam.
* Vietnam - India: 7pm tomorrow, June 17.
In the most recent AFC U17 Championship in 2018, the two teams met in the group stage and India won with the only goal from the 11m mark by Vikram Singh. This time, the two teams met again in the opening match. Coach Bibiano Fernandes assessed Vietnam as a strong team and predicted that many spectators would come to cheer.
"I don't want my players to be influenced by the opposing fans," coach Bibiano Fernandes said at a press conference before the match this afternoon, June 16. "We try to create similar situations to prepare the players."
Coach Bibiano Fernandes of India U17 at the press conference this afternoon, June 16. Photo: AFC
In 2018, India reached the quarter-finals before losing 0-1 to South Korea. This time, coach Fernandes and his team want more, with the goal of reaching the semi-finals, thereby winning a ticket to the 2023 U17 World Cup in October.
"We came to Thailand to win, to qualify for the World Cup," said the 46-year-old coach. "The team has worked hard and tried everything to do well in this tournament. Of course, real combat will be very different from friendly matches or training sessions."
India U17s prepared for the tournament with training trips to Spain and Germany in April and May. They played 10 friendlies, winning 2-1 against Atletico Madrid U16s, losing 1-4 to the club's U17s, beating Augsburg U17s 3-1 and drawing 3-3 with Real Madrid U17s.
In the October 2022 qualifiers, India finished second in Group D, losing only to group winners Saudi Arabia, and beating Kuwait, Myanmar and Maldives. Including this edition, India have participated in the tournament nine times, with their best results being quarter-finals in 2002 and 2018.
The India vs Vietnam match will take place at 7:00 p.m. tomorrow, June 17 at Thammasat Stadium.
Hieu Luong
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