Vasco da Gama (Goa): India Under-19 men's football team will take on Malaysian football club Felda United FC in their first home match of the FAM-Frenz Asia Champions Trophy at the Tilak Maidan Stadium here on Wednesday.
In this Champions Trophy, the U-19 team will play on a home and away basis which will provide the players an excellent exposure to play against different oppositions in different conditions.
India U-19 head coach Lee Johnson said his boys must aim for nothing less than a win against the Malaysian side.
"I want to install the belief that they can go out and do it. We have got some players back from the squad which played in the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) U-19 Championship," Johnson said at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday.
"The intention is to play more in such competitions. This is such a competitive environment and facilitates development. We have been training since July and had to split the group into two squads as the ACT and the SAFF U-19 were on simultaneously," he said.
India U-19 side are currently stay on one point from two away matches. While in the first match, Johnson's boys drew goalless against Felda United FC, they went down 2-4 to Thailand football club Chonburi FC in the next match.
"This is our backyard and we have the home advantage this time. I have told the boys to think this about being your own castle," the head coach said.
"We have been sharp in our training and hoping the players enact the same in the match. But you can't commit anything till you do it on the field. The last time we played them, we couldn't capitalize on our chances," he said.
