LAHORE – It will be Tariq Lutfi versus Bob Houghton as the coaches prepare for the 23rd international soccer encounter between Pakistan and India in the fourth AFC Challenge Cup Qualifiers on March 23 at Kuala Lumpur. Pakistan are clubbed in Group B and they will take on Turkmenistan on March 21 before locking horns with India, followed by a clash with the Chinese Taipei on March 25.
Pakistan have chopped down the squad to twenty two from the 37 probables, while India left out most of the younger players, who featured in the Olympic qualifiers against Myanmar, in the 23-member squad announced for the upcoming show. AIFF had announced 44 probables initially. Raju Gaekwad and his club mates Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Shilton D’Silva, Jewel Sheikh Raja, Jeje Lalpekhulua and Viva Kerala player CS Sabeeth are the players who featured in the Olympic qualifiers and have also been short-listed for the AFC qualifiers.
The squad still has senior players in the likes of Subrata Pal, Sunil Chhetri, Anwar, Syed Rahim Nabi, Gouramangi Moirangthem and Steven Dias. Bob Houghton included Secundrabad-born Sunil Chhetri, who visited Pakistan during 9th SA Games 2004 and scored his first international goal against Pakistan on June 12, 2005 at Ayub Stadium, Quetta.
Having scored twice in 15th Asian Cup at Qatar last January, he received much media attention after scoring a hat-trick in the final of the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which led to an unsuccessful trial at English club Coventry City and speculation linking him with many European and North American clubs.
Pakistan
Goalkeepers (2): Amir Gul (NBP), Muhammad Omar (KESC)
Defenders (5): Manzoor Ahmed (WAPDA), Alamgir Khan (Police), Atif Bashir Qureshi (Barry Town, Wales), Samar Ishaq (KRL), Zeeshan Rehman (Muangthong United FC, Thailand),
Midfielders (8): Faisal Iqbal (NBP), Syed Arif Hussain (WAPDA), Muhammad Adil (KRL), Mahmood Khan (KRL), Kashif Mumtaz Siddiqui (Fresno Fuego, USA), Abdul Aziz (NBP), Nasr Ullah Khan (PIA), Adnan Farooq Ahmed (Aboomoslem FC, Iran),
Strikers (7): Saddam Hussain (PIA), Jadeed Khan Pathan (WAPDA), Rizwan Asif (KRL), Kalim Ullah (KRL), Imran Niazi (WAPDA), Arif Mehmood (WAPDA), Muhammad Qasim (KRL).
