The latest news said Chinese and Indian national football teams will play in the international friendly on Oct 13 at the new stadium of Suzhou Olympic Sports Centre (SZOSC) in SIP, as a warm-up for the 2019 AFC Asian Cup scheduled in the United Arab Emirates from Jan 5 to Feb 1, 2019.

Historically, the two teams have faced 17 times, all on Indian soil, including the last being 21 years ago for the Nehru Cup in Kochi in 1997. Out of the matches, 12 were in favor of China while the remaining five were drawn.

"China is a strong team and the match will be a tough test for us," Indian football team head coach Stephen Constantine said, adding that it will be an important game for the build-up to the AFC Asian Cup.

It is worth mentioning that the event will be the first international sports match held at the newly completed SZOSC stadium, an advanced sports venue with a total floor area of 81,000 sqm and about 45,000 seats.