NorthEast XI to face India U-17 football squad on January 29

With the aim of putting together a strong competitive side for the FIFA Under-17 World Cup in 2017 at home, the country's U-17 squad will be facing NorthEast XI in search of more talent on January 29 in Guwahati.

The match will be organised by Shillong Lajong Football Club with the support and cooperation of all the state football associations of the North East including Sikkim, Shillong Lajong FC said in a release on Tuesday.

National team scouts will be present at the game and will select the most outstanding players who will be part of the U-17 World Cup probable squad.

In total, a 22-member squad consisting of boys from seven North Eastern states of Assam, Manipur, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura are currently training with Shillong Lajong FC in Shillong.

Lajong's head of youth development Gumpe Rime and All India Football Federation (AIFF) coach Francisco Bruto Da Costa are overlooking the preparations for this squad.

U-17 World Cup coach Nicholai Adams is seeking to further strengthen the squad and hence began a second round of scouting across India.

The side has made extensive preparations with camps in Germany, Spain and UAE and also played the AFC U-16 qualifiers, performing admirably against teams such as Bahrain, Lebanon and Iran.