Football: Indian women to face Nepal in first 2020 Olympic qualifiers

Asked about her thoughts at the fixtures ahead, the coach said, "I feel we have got a favourable set of matches as our first two games are against familiar opponents (Nepal and Bangladesh) and we play the hosts in our last match.

The Indian women are all geared up to play Nepal here Thursday in their first match of the 2020 AFC Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

They will look to secure three points from the game in order to get their campaign off to a winning start.

In the previous four editions of the competition, the Indian side has never made it past the initial stage and this time around, there is a high degree of confidence within the team after a successful three-week preparatory camp in Mumbai under head coach Maymol Rocky.

Asked about her thoughts at the fixtures ahead, the coach said, "I feel we have got a favourable set of matches as our first two games are against familiar opponents (Nepal and Bangladesh) and we play the hosts in our last match.

"In such tournaments, how you start the competition is really important and the Nepal game will be extremely crucial for us to gather the much-required momentum."

The coach said the Mumbai camp was a fruitful one for the team, helping the newcomers to gel with the rest of the squad.

"All the girls responded to my instructions and applied themselves well. Even the girls who were not selected in the final team also grew as players and improved greatly.

"I feel we have built quite a cohesive unit and it puts us in a good position ahead of the three games." 

(With inputs from agencies.)