Indian coach Igor Stimac is confident before Intercontinental Cup opener against Mongolia

Photo- AIFF

Xtra Time Web Desk: The Indian football team is set to compete against Mongolia in the first match of the Intercontinental Cup on Friday, June 8. India emerged as the champions of this tournament in 2018, defeating Kenya 2-0 in the final, led by Sunil Chhetri’s team.

Prior to the first match of the tournament, Indian coach Igor Stimac appeared quite confident. Speaking at a press conference, Stimac said, “We have high hopes of winning the tournament, and that’s why we are here. We will do everything possible to achieve that.”

Just seven months later, the Indian team will travel to Qatar to participate in the AFC Asian Cup. Before that, they will compete in the Intercontinental Cup and the SAFF Championship to prepare for the event. Speaking about the Intercontinental Cup, Stimac said, “Although our opponents (in the Hero Intercontinental Cup) are not as tough as the teams we’ll face in the Asian Cup, they’re still good and competitive. Mongolia are a very aggressive side with a lot of young players in midfield and upfront. They press high press and play counter-attacking football. Even though they may find it difficult to adapt to the warm weather here, their players are arriving in competitive form as the Mongolian league is going on at the moment,”

The Indian camp started on May 15. Coach Stimac has had a considerable amount of time to prepare the team. He said, “Each game will be a challenge for us. We’ve had enough time for preparation. We need to be physically ready for these games and take everything into our hands. Our players are here to prove that they deserve their place in the National Team.”