India women take on Uzbekistan today

India's under-20 women's team will play two friendlies against Uzbekistan in Tashkent as part of their preparations for the AFC U20 Women's Asian Cup Qualifiers next month in Myanmar

Hyderabad: The Indian under-20 women’s team arrived in Tashkent to play two friendly matches against the Uzbekistan under-20 squad.

The first of them will be played on Sunday (July 13) at the Do’stlik Stadium at 20:30 IST.

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The Young Tigresses, who had been training at the Padukone-Dravid Centre for Sports Excellence in Bengaluru, landed in the Uzbek capital on Friday morning and had a gym session in the evening.

India is using these friendly games to prepare for the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers next month, where they will face Indonesia, Turkmenistan, and hosts Myanmar.

Head coach Joakim Alexandersson said they wanted to face a strong opponent to get an idea of what awaits them in the Asian qualifiers. “These matches also help us gain valuable experience, not just on the pitch, but also from travelling and adapting to different conditions,” he said.

“The weather in Tashkent is quite similar to Bengaluru so far, so no issues on that front. The hotel, accommodation, and food are also fine,” the head coach said.

Anika Devi Sharubam replaced goalkeeper Melody Chanu Keisham due to the latter being ill.

Uzbekistan, led by head coach Vladimir Panov, is also preparing as hosts of Group G of the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup Qualifiers, where they will take on Bahrain, Northern Mariana Islands, and Jordan. The Central Asian nation also hosted the AFC U20 Women’s Asian Cup 2024 but lost all games and finished at the bottom of Group A.

While the Blue Tigresses got their job done, emerging victorious in Thailand to qualify for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, it’s now time for the Young Tigresses to do the same.