Upbeat India take on formidable Bahrain in AFC U-16 qualifiers

After a fruitful exposure trip of Germany, India's U-16 squad will now test their mettle against the Asian giants, starting with Bahrain, in their at the AFC U-16 Qualifiers here tomorrow.
The U-16 team which comprises of prospective candidates for the U-17 Fifa World Cup to be held in India in less than two years time will get their first "real international experience" according to chief coach Nicolai Adam.
India colts have been clubbed in Group E with hosts Iran, strong contenders Bahrain and a talented Lebanon side and Adam said it won't be easy as they are not among the favourites in the tournament.

"It's not an understatement but for sure we won't be starting as the favourites in the match. We will do our best and I can only say that it won't be easy to beat us," Nicolai said ahead of their clash against Bahrain.
"We have done our job and prepared the boys well for the different scenarios that might come. We have different match plans and it's now up to the boys to bring it to the pitch," he told AIFF.Com.
Nicolai said the pitch at the Gostaresh Foolad Stadium could be a problem as his boys haven't played on such a pitch.

"In my opinion it stays biggest challenge -- the pitch at the Stadium. It is very deep and though we played a lot of matches on different pitches we haven't played on a pitch like that. That might be a problem but we will see as and when it kicks-off," he said.

India arrived in Iran on Sunday after a month and a half long exposure tour in Germany.
Talking about their stint in Germany, Nicolai said: "The stint in Germany was extremely helpful. We played 14 matches, won eight of them, lost four while two ended in draws. But it wasn't just about getting good match experience. The whole setup there was good for us as we trained every day, sometimes even twice a day."

The coach said it will the first real International experience for the boys and it will help in their preparation for the FIFA 2017 U-17 World Cup that will be held in India.
"Even though we had good exposure in Germany, at the end of the day this will be their first real International experience," Nicolai said.
"One may be tempted to say that some of the boys did play in the U-16 SAFF Championship but in all probabilities, SAFF Countries won't qualify for the U-17 World Cup. So as we are in preparatory process for the FIFA 2017 U-17 World Cup, for me this is the first real International experience for the boys," he concluded.