XtraTime Web Desk: Sunil Chettri and his team will begin their campaign January 6, 2019, against Thailand at the Al Nahyan Stadium in Abu Dhabi. It will be a huge moment for the Indian captain as well, as he becomes the only Indian captain in the modern era to feature in two AFC Asian Cup tournaments.
In the recently conducted draw, it was confirmed that India would be competing against Thailand, Bahrain and hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the group stage of the top tier nation tournament in Asia.
The Men in Blue will next face UAE on January 10, at the Zayed Sports City Stadium. UAE are currently placed 81st in the FIFA ladder and are the only team to be ahead of India (97) among the other teams in the group.
On January 14, Stephen Constantine’s men will be up against Bahrain at the Sharjah Stadium in Sharjah. Miroslav Soukup’s men are currently ranked 116th in the FIFA rankings.
The knock-out phase of the tournament will start from January 20 and will be played across all venues