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The Indian men’s football team is set to face New Zealand in the first of two international friendlies in Auckland this Thursday. The matches are being held to commemorate 100 years of sporting ties between the two nations.
Key highlights include:
- Squad Changes: Head coach Khalid Jamil has made significant changes to the roster. Notably, captain and goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has been dropped, while four players (Som Kumar, Ricky Meetei Haobam, Lalremtluanga Fanai, and Tomba Singh Haobam) have received their first call-ups.
- Player Movements: Bijoy Varghese, Muhammad Suhail, and Liston Colaco have been pulled from the SAFF championship squad to join the senior team for these friendlies.
- Rankings: New Zealand holds a higher FIFA ranking (88th) compared to India (138th).
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