The Blue Tigresses face 27th-ranked Russia in the first of two international friendlies at Kishore Bharati Krirangan, with free entry for fans.

Kolkata, October 7: After a high-intensity series of men’s international friendlies against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, it is now time for the Blue Tigresses to step onto the field. Entry to the match at Kishore Bharati Krirangan will be free for all, with fans invited to come out and support the Blue Tigresses.

The Indian women’s national team are ready to begin to preparing against a strong Russia side, with the first of two international friendlies set to take place tomorrow at the KBK in Kolkata.

The Blue Tigresses will kick off at 6:00 PM as they look to test themselves against Russia and continue building ahead of their upcoming challenges. The two teams will meet again on October 11 for the second friendly.

For more than 20 days, the team has been training and preparing under head coach Crispin Chhetri, but the final squad was announced only recently, just before the kick-off.

Against the 27th-ranked Russia, the previous meeting was not convincing for the Blue Tigresses. However, with the team rebuilding and playing on a new grass surface, the Indian women will enter the match with a fresh start.

Russia also arrived in India only yesterday and had just one training session before the match, completing their final practice on matchday minus one.

Crispin Chhetri admitted that India could not get the full squad they wanted for the Russia friendlies, as many clubs didn’t release their key players for the IWL preparation, and with East Bengal preparing for their upcoming AFC Women’s Champions League and IWL campaigns, the club wanted to release their players only during the FIFA window, while the head coach wanted more time to work with the full group.

With that not possible, Crispin decided to continue with the players available to him and work with the squad already assembled. He also acknowledged that such situations can arise when clubs have their own important commitments, but stressed that there needs to be better coordination between the clubs and the national team, with everyone coming together to support the national team whenever possible.

For Yuri Krasnozhan, the Russia camp has been far from an ideal one ahead of the opening friendly. The Russian side arrived in India only yesterday evening and had very little time to prepare on Indian soil, with their first training session coming just before the match. Despite the lack of preparation, Krasnozhan believes the experience from their previous camps and games can help his team when they face the Blue Tigresses.

With a young squad, limited preparation and plenty to prove, the Blue Tigresses now have a chance to turn this fresh start into something meaningful. Russia may not have had the ideal preparation either, but once the whistle goes, none of that will matter. For Crispin Chhetri’s side, the real test begins on the pitch, and Kolkata will get its first look at this new-look India against a strong Russian outfit.

Meet the squad of India-Russia Women’s International Friendly:

India:

Goalkeepers: Adrija Sarkhel, Monalisha Devi Moirangthem, Nandini.

Defenders: Dhurga Perumal, Juli Kishan, Kiran Pisda, Malati Munda, Mousumi Murmu, Purnima Kumari, Ranjana Chanu Sorokhaibam, Shubhangi Singh.

Midfielders: Babina Devi Lisham, Baby Sana, Cindy Colney, Priyadharshini Selladurai, Sanfida Nongrum, Sangita Basfore, Santosh.

Forwards: Jasoda Munda, Lynda Kom Serto, Malavika P, Renu, Sibani Devi Nongmeikapam, Sushmita Jadhav.

Russia:

Goalkeepers: Varvara Dudorova, Natalya Silina, Diana Ponomareva.

Defenders: Veronika Kuropatkina, Elizaveta Semenova, Ksenia Oleksyuk, Ksenia Dolgova, Vasilisa Lakeeva, Vladislava Butkevich, Natalya Morozova, Maria Durnova.

Midfielders: Yana Svistunova, Kristina Petkus, Yana Sheina, Polina Yuklyaeva, Azalia Zalmiyeva, Marine Asoyan, Diana Kishmakhova, Nadezhda Smirnova, Arina Shuba, Darina Ishmukhametova.

Forwards: Natalya Mashina, Kira Petukhova.