New Delhi, April 10 The Indian team will take a significant step in their preparations for the 2026 AFC U-17 Women's Asian Cup when they face Russia in a three-match friendly series at the Matsesta Football Center in Sochi on April 11, 14, and 17.
The Young Tigresses, who had been training in Bengaluru, arrived in Sochi on April 6.
Having spent close to three months with the squad since joining in January, head coach Pamela Conti expressed satisfaction with the group's progress, particularly their approach to training and learning.
"Honestly, I'm very happy with them," said the Italian coach.
"It has been an incredible experience, especially because of their attitude. Even though they are still very young, as I always say, they have shown the best possible attitude to train and to learn. I am sure they have a very bright future ahead," she told the-aiff.com.
The upcoming matches against Russia are expected to provide a different kind of challenge, one that closely mirrors the physical demands India will face in the Asian Cup, particularly against a team like Australia.
"I've watched Russia, and we've done an analysis," Conti said.
"They are a very physical team, which will help us a lot when we play against Australia. I think they will have some advantages, especially due to the climate and the pitch, which will probably be very wet.
"For us, it's about continuing to work and doing our best to get a good result, but also keeping an eye on what lies ahead. They are physically very strong, with tall, fast players, and they are technically good as well.
"We need to find ways to press them high up the pitch, because if we give them too much space, they can hurt us a lot."
India enter the series on the back of a positive outing in Yangon last month, where they secured two wins against Myanmar (2-0 and 3-2) in friendly games. The team then continued their camp in Bengaluru before departing for Sochi.
The larger objective remains the 2026 AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China, where India have been drawn in a challenging Group C alongside Australia, Japan, and Lebanon.
"I think it's a very strong group, one that will make things very difficult for us," Conti said.
"Japan and Australia are clearly superior teams. We have to be realistic about that.
"We will try to do our best and make things difficult for them throughout the 90 minutes in both matches. Lebanon is a team we can potentially beat, but it will still be complicated because these are international matches.
"We need to stay very focused and not be overconfident, especially against a team like Lebanon, because if you make a mistake, they can score."
Conti stressed that the preparation phase is not just about results, but about understanding the broader context of development within Asian football.