India’s football head coach Igor Stimac has expressed confidence that the Blue Tigers have enough quality in their squad to win the upcoming tournament in Vietnam. India will take on Singapore on September 24 in FIFA friendly whereas they will face Vietnam on September 27. The team traveled to Vietnam on September 20.
Stimac had earlier named a 23-man squad for these two matches while the team had also organized a two-day camp in Kolkata to prepare for the matches.
These three teams will face each other in Hung Thinh Friendly Football Tournament with hosts Vietnam facing Singapore on September 21. The hosts thrashed Singapore by 4-0 in the opening game on Wednesday.
The winner of the tournament will receive prize money of $30,000 whereas the runners-up will get $20,000. The third-placed team will also get $10,000.
Meanwhile, India is ranked at 104th position in the FIFA rankings while Vietnam is at the 95th place.
“We are definitely capable of winning the tournament, but I think it’s the small things that will decide who wins it,” said India head coach Igor Stimac.
“Obviously, Vietnam have a lot of momentum with their performances in the last couple of years. They have a good team and are playing at home, which is why they are probably the favourites, but we also have a good chance as we have a young squad.
“I think we have enough quality to match them, and if we stay positive and play with a good mindset, we can do it,” he continued.
India had earlier beaten Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and the Croatian added that they will look to carry the winning impetus.
“With regards to the momentum that we have after the June AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers (India beat Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong in back-to-back matches), the optimism is high and the positiveness which currently surrounds the team should only bode well for us,” Stimac said.
India’s squad:
Goalkeepers: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem and Amrinder Singh.
Defenders: Sandesh Jhingan, Roshan Singh Naorem, Anwar Ali, Akash Mishra, Chinglensana Singh Konsham, Harmanjot Singh Khabra and Narender.
Midfielders: Liston Colaco, Muhammed Ashique Kuruniyan, Deepak Tangri, Udanta Singh Kumam, Anirudh Thapa, Brandon Fernandes, Yasir Mohammad, Jeakson Singh Thounaojam, Sahal Abdul Samad, Rahul Kannoly Praveen and Lallianzuala Chhangte.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri and Ishan Pandita.
