"We are not used to playing sides like these": Sunil Chhetri on India's Asian Cup campaign
Jan 16, 2024
Al Rayyan [Qatar], January 16 : Ahead of India's upcoming match against Uzbekistan in the Asian Cup in Al Rayyan, Blue Tigers' skipper Sunil Chhetri said that these matches will be tough since they are not used to playing such teams.
While speaking in an interview with the All India Football Federation (AIFF), Chhetri said that there are both pros and cons to playing such games.
"There are pros and cons to this game. It's not easy to play the best teams in Asia. We are not used to playing sides like these, as we don't play against them very often, so you never know what to expect," Chhetri said as quoted by the Indian Super League's (ISL) official website.
The 39-year-old added that the Blue Tigers will gain more confidence after watching the videos of their previous game against Australia. He further added that it will help them to rectify their mistakes.
"It's a mixed bag of feelings right now. Once we watch the videos, perhaps we will gain more confidence and work on the things that we could have done better," the skipper added.
Talking about their upcoming match of the tournament, he showered praise on Uzbekistan and said that they are a "good side". He accepted that it would be a big challenge for the Blue Tigers.
"Uzbekistan are not Australia, but they're a good side nonetheless. So it will be a big challenge in that game too," he concluded.
Recapping India's previous fixture against Australia, Igor Stimac's side conceded a 0-2 defeat against the Socceroos in their opening Group B Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup match on Saturday.
Given the gap between the two teams in the world ranking, a 0-2 loss for the Blue Tigers against the Socceroos did not come as a huge surprise to football fans.
However, it also showed that a side placed 102nd in the FIFA World Rankings can thwart a team placed 77 places above them. India did keep the mighty Aussies out for 50 minutes before a fatal error saw the Blue Tigers punished after all the good work.
