Indian soccer head coach Igor Stimac just isn’t positive the place the nation would end within the Hangzhou Asian Video games subsequent month given the U-23 format of the quadrennial showpiece and with little or no recognized in regards to the opposing groups. Requested what end on the Asian Video games would fulfill him, Stimac stated on Monday that whereas India does have a powerful group, the actual fact that it’s the solely facet having “not performed a single recreation with the under-23s within the final two years” made predicting the result tough.
“It is tough to say (how far India will go within the Asian Video games) as a result of it is an under-23 competitors, and you do not have a lot details about all of the groups you are going to face there. I feel we’re the one group that hasn’t performed a single recreation with the under-23s within the final two years.
“How a lot we are able to do in a brief preparation time is a big query. Clearly, we do have sturdy under-23 gamers, who’re already an enormous a part of the senior nationwide group, and it ought to assist us. However as you say, it is a related competitors to the Asian Cup, however completely different additionally as a result of you do not have time between the video games for restoration.
“We’ll face the most important opponents in our group, China, within the opening recreation. And fewer than 48 hours later we’ve to play the following opponents (Bangladesh), which is vastly stunning. We’ll put all our efforts into the opening recreation and do our greatest to beat China to make our life simpler,” added Stimac in an interview to AIFF.
With the celebrated King’s Cup all set to kick of in Thailand on September 7, Stimac can be taking a look at choices within the probability of ace striker Sunil Chhetri not being a part of the squad.
The King’s Cup will probably be India’s first outing overseas