India to field young squad in Belarus football friendly

Igor Stimac knows what to expect from Belarus when India face them in an international friendly at the Bahrain National Stadium on Saturday. Belarus, India coach Stimac said, are “one level above Bahrain”, technically good, physically strong, and unlike their games in the World Cup qualifiers, where they counter-attacked against world class opponents in Europe, will play on the front foot against India. “They play aggressive football and won’t give us any time or space,” said Stimac.

Despite the obvious dangers of facing a team that played Wales, Belgium and Czech Republic in three of their last four matches, Stimac will continue to provide a chance for youngsters to prove their mettle in international football. Newcomers like Ruivah Hormipam, Anwar Ali and Roshan Singh, all defenders, are expected to start against Belarus, the first time India are playing European opponents since Azerbaijan in 2012.

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“There will be big changes for the Belarus game, some of them as a result of not good enough performance from some players in the previous game, some of it to provide an opportunity for those who I count for the future,” Stimac said.