Indian head coach Igor Stimac said they will try their best to make the fans happy in the upcoming AFC Asian Cup. The Blue Tigers will look to be at their absolute best in the upcoming tournament and deliver the goods in the competition.
However, there is no denying the fact that the Blue Tigers will have a challenging task at hand as they have been drawn into a difficult group. Igor Stimac’s team are drawn with teams like Australia, Uzbekistan, and Syria in Group B, and the tournament will take place in Qatar.
The Indian football team squad arrived at the Hamad International Airport in Doha late Saturday night. The Sunil Chhetri-led team will play their opening match of the tournament against potent Australia on 13th January and they will look to come up with a collective effort.
“Excited to be back here in Doha, which is becoming kind of a home to us, and we are happy about it because the fan base we have here is huge. It’s enormous, and hopefully, it’s going to help our boys settle down into the first game in the tournament in a proper way,” Stimac told aiff.com.
“Having supporters on your side in big numbers is always an advantage, and I hope this huge support will help our boys to boost their confidence. Because how you start the game, how you open the game, is really important, and it can affect the final result,” he added.
The Croatian admitted it will be a tough challenge for his team but at the same time it will be a good experience for the youngsters to play in a big tournament.
“We are well aware of our opponents’ strengths and know that nobody expects us to dominate these games,” he stated.
“So, we’re going to work on our self-confidence, mostly focusing on the defensive shape and verticality in our game when we get the ball. So, the focus will be on how to enjoy this tournament and make sure that 17 out of 26 boys who are here for the first time participating in a big tournament get the experience which is needed, and which will help us reach the third round of the World Cup qualifier,” the Croatian asserted.
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