India’s head coach Igor Stimac said that they are here to prove why they are favorites ahead of the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. India is in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, along with teams like Hong Kong, Afghanistan, and Cambodia. All of the games will be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata and India will have crowd support. Ergo, the hosts will be favorite in their group and they will look to bring their best to the pitch.
India will begin their campaign against Cambodia on 8th June in Kolkata and the Blue Tigers will look to start their campaign on a high. The 54-year-old said playing in their own conditions will benefit the team and he is hoping of a good show.
Stimac said in the pre-match press conference, “It should be helpful of course. But it can go the other way if we don’t succeed in the first game, but what I’m happy about being in Kolkata is that we wanted to be in this city because of the football history in this city, because of the support we are getting here time and again. So, we are expecting great crowds and great support from the stands. We don’t need to hide from the fact that this city, this crowd, and the situation we are in is making us the favorite in the group. And we are here to prove that.”
The Sunil Chhetri-led will look to hit the ground running in their first match of the qualifiers. Stimac admitted that it is not going to be easy for his team to get off to a good start as other teams have great skills.
He added, “It’s always difficult. The most important thing is to deliver a win out of the first game. It’s about gaining confidence which is needed for the remaining two games, it’s to prove that we obtained great work in the past six weeks which we are very confident about. And of course, there is a possibility that the first game will not go well, so, nothing will be determined because there are nine points to play for. We are also expecting to have great supporters in the stands which is wonderful this time because we are getting to see them after so long. We’re also playing at home after such a long time and we expect our boys to handle the pressure from the stands, to enjoy the pressure from the stands, play wonderful football and win the game.”
The Croatian added that finding the right combination is the most difficult part for him as the head coach. As the players mostly play for their respective clubs for the major part of the year, it is not always easy for them to build camaraderie from the get-go while playing for the national team.
Stimac concluded, “Finding the right balance of the team is the most important task for the coach because the national team, you don’t get enough playing time to find that balance. The boys come from different clubs, playing in different systems and I need to say that I’m happy this time that we had enough time to prepare although we are not with a complete squad because of some injuries which have left a few players out, but we do have others who are ready to replace them and to produce good football which will take us to the Asian Cup finals.”
India will look to come up with a collective effort in front of their home crowd.
