Have no doubts we will qualify for Asian Cup: Igor Stimac

“We are the favourites in the group. There is no hiding from that. I see India in the final stages of the Asian Cup. I have no doubts about that. We have a few debts to pay to our supporters in Kolkata. We know we were not at our best against Bangladesh (India drew 1-1 in that game in 2019). Hopefully, after the last match we will celebrate together.”

In answers to two other questions during Tuesday’s virtual media interaction, India head coach Igor Stimac said different versions of the same thing: that India will be among Asia’s top 24 teams when the continental competition begins in China next June. India play Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong here next month in Group D in the third round of the qualifiers. Winning the group will assure a berth in the finals and India could even make it as one of the five best second teams.

Playing teams ranked lower— Hong Kong are 147; Afghanistan 150 and Cambodia 171 to India’s 106—in the Fifa rankings needs more work in the final third “where space will be less”. So, Stimac said, India’s training in the first phase of the camp in Bellary from April 24 focused on “finishing”. For the second phase of the camp in Kolkata from Monday, the accent would be on “plenty of set-piece situations and pressure in the opponents’ half.”

India will play four games in the build-up to the qualifiers which begin on June 8. The first is on Wednesday against ATK Mohun Bagan. There will be two against I-League selections on May 17 and 20 and two more in Doha, against Zambia (May 25) and Jordan (May 28). Wednesday’s game is to help “ATK Mohun Bagan prepare for the AFC Cup and also see how the eight India players in that team are doing. We are not really ready for this as the players’ legs are heavy now from all the training,” said Stimac. The next two games will be to see the best of the I-League and the last two to gauge how India cope against higher ranked sides, he said. Zambia are 87 and Jordan 91 on the latest FIFA list released in March.

Stimac said Afghanistan will be “physical and the toughest game” with the caveat that he is awaiting information on the three naturalised Brazilians who play for Hong Kong. “Three players can make a lot of difference.” A number of players from Kitchee FC are likely to be part of the Hong Kong roster and Stimac said his analyst will be watching their group stage games in the Asian Champions League. Kitchee FC are the first team from Hong Kong to make the round of 16 in Asia’s apex club competition, qualifying behind Vissel Kobe from a group that had Thailand’s Chiangrai United and Shanghai Port.

Stimac said a lot of young players are now “close to experiencing the big stage” and will be “introduced in the next few games”. He also said the players are “accepting” more what the coaching staff is asking of them on a daily basis. “In previous camps when we would have two or three days, we would be praying to God that the players are safe. So as a coach that aspect of the preparation is giving me satisfaction.” As is the fact that keeping Sunil Chhetri out of the friendlies against Bahrain and Belarus in March has helped the talismanic striker recover from niggling injuries.

What is not is the absence of Rahim Ali from the qualifiers due to an adductor injury. “He was making Sunil’s life a lot easier, taking players away and creating space for Sunil. Rahim has shown great advancement in his game,” said Stimac. Ali’s injury was aggravated by playing in the Indian Super League and he will now need six to seven weeks of rest to recover, said Stimac. Also injured are defenders Chinglensana Singh and Narender Gahlot, said the head coach.