FIFA 2018 Qualifiers: Stephen Constantine announces 38-men preliminary squad for Oman and Guam clash

New Delhi, May 20: National coach Stephen Constantine announced his preliminary squad of 38 probables for India’s forthcoming back to back 2018 World Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification matches against Oman and Guam respectively. The list of 38 would be trimmed to 26 post completion of the ongoing edition of the Hero I-League. The selected 26 players along with the support staff would be reporting to the camp in Bangalore on June 3 with the practice kicking off from the following day, from June 4. India play their first match at the Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore on June 11 while the next match against Guam will be played in Guam on June 16. India have been clubbed in Group D along with Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam. Constantine felt the Qualifiers provide India an opportunity to rub shoulders with the best. “We are on the platform where we wanted to be. We are now competing against the best teams in Asia and it’s the stage for the best teams to compete against each other. We have selected a group of Players that have impressed for their respective Clubs in the last two-three months. The list would be brought down to 26 for the preparatory Camp,” Constantine said.