New Delhi [India], April 11 (ANI): The Indian U17 women's national team will take a significant step in their preparations for the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2026 when they face Russia in a three-match friendly series at the Matsesta Football Centre 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, according to a press release from the AIFF Media.

'To be honest, I'm very happy with them,' said the Italian. '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 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 enters 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 next month's AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup China 2026, 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. Comparing the women's football scenario in South America and Europe, the only two continents she coached in the past before taking up the Young Tigresses job, with Asia, she said, 'In South America, teams are very technical and play more instinctively, like street football. In Europe, the game is much more organised. In Asia, I think some teams are still developing and need more time, especially in terms of structured development.

'Countries like India, which are returning to the Asian Cup after a long time, need investment in coaches, infrastructure, and development pathways where players can grow. It takes time to build, reform, and reach the elite level of teams like Japan, Australia, China, Korea, or European sides like Spain and France.'

Conti tasted immediate success with the U17 team, winning the higher age-group SAFF U19 Women's Championship in February after a resounding 4-0 victory over Bangladesh. Over the past three months, the focus has been on building a strong foundation - physically, technically, and tactically.

'First of all, we have worked on three key areas: physical strength in the gym, technical aspects like body posture, control, and passing, which are very important at this developmental stage, and tactical organisation,' Conti said.

'Tactically, we've focused on being as organised as possible, especially considering the kind of opponents we will face. But more than anything, these three months have helped us get to know each other and improve our understanding of football.

'For me, football is about principles of play, and the players need to understand those principles. That is the most important thing at this stage of their development,' Conti concluded. (ANI)