Sparks could fly as the Indian Under-18 men's team meet Pakistan in the semi-finals of the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The game will begin at 3.00 pm local time (2.30 pm Indian Standard Time).
India went down 4-5 in a thriller to hosts Bangladesh in their first match of the tournament, but bounced back with a 11-0 hammering of Oman by virtue of which they advanced to the semi-finals. Pakistan blanked Chinese Taipei 6-1 in their opener, hammered China 6-0 and destroyed Hong Kong 14-0.
"The traditional rivalry adds a unique flavour to the contest, but we expect that," Indian coach BJ Kariyappa told PTI. "The boys are focused on the task at hand. Pakistan have been prolific in front of goal, so obviously we will need to tighten up our defensive structure in the game."
India have won the tournament once, in 2001, while Pakistan won it in 2009.
Corrections and clarifications: This story had earlier erroneously stated that the match was on Saturday.
