indian football
The Indian football team during their training session in MumbaiAIFF Media

India take on Puerto Rico for the first time ever in an international football friendly at the Andheri Sports Complex in Mumbai on Saturday. The occasion also marks the first time a CONCACAF side will be playing an international friendly in India.

In a match of firsts, this will also be the first time Stephen Constantine's side will be playing at the Andheri Sports Complex. Lots of new beginnings but more than anything, it will be the football display that is expected to do all the talking.

Get the final score of the match HERE

Judging by the FIFA rankings, Puerto Rico hold an edge over India. The side, coached by Carlos García Cantarero, are in the 114th position at the moment, while India stay are 152nd.

However, in football, games are not always won by the teams who have a superior ranking. India look confident enough as they come into the match on the back of an impressive 3-0 win over Bhutan in an unofficial friendly match in August. Prior to that, Constantine's side overwhelmed Laos with a 6-1 score in their second leg AFC Asian Cup Qualifier, that took place in June.

On Saturday, custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu will captain the India team. One of the key aspects of Constantine's coaching has been giving exposure to numerous youngsters to shine for the national team. Against Puerto Rico too, the same mantra continues.

"One of the biggest plusses I have found with the Indian players is their thirst for knowledge. They want to learn and get better," said the British coach ahead of the match. "It's not hard to teach Indian players and they pick things up quite quickly. But you need to be repetitive."

Puerto Rico know that despite their edge in rankings, they will have a tough time getting past the home team. However, for now, the prospect of playing in India is something to reslish for them. "For us, it is about taking our game to new territories," said Ignacio Rodriguez, the general secretary of the Puerto Rico football federation, to Goal.

"We heard from the All India Football Federation (AIFF) about two and a half months ago and the boys were up for the challenge, even though some of them have had to adjust their league schedule according to it. Playing in India? Who would have thought! We are looking at it as an exciting challenge."

India vs Puerto Rico is scheduled to kick off at 8 p.m. IST (3:30 p.m. BST) on Sept. 3 | Team News here

Where to watch live

In India, the match will be shown on Star Sports 2 and Star Sports HD 2. Live streaming will be available on Hotstar.