If team India makes a draw in todayβs game in Imphal, it shall be sufficient for India to come out as the winner in the ongoing Tri-Nation international football tournament. However, this time nothing less than a good game will be able to cheer the fans of Manipur who in the last game had filled up the Khuman L Stadium hours before the match against Myanmar but had to witness a disheartening 1-0 show.
The Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri had wanted to make one change in the Indian side before his team clashed against the Kyrgyz Republic. He wants to bring out a good game and offer his gratitude to the India fans who have been very supportive throughout the tournament.
On Monday the AIFF posted a video where Chettri was seen sharing that he is very hopeful about bringing a positive result for India in the match against the Kyrgyz Republic and giving an amazing game to the fans of the Indian football team.
Even though during Saturdayβs game against Myanmar, Kyrgyzstan had managed to make an injury-time equalizer of 1-1, Chhetri is aware of the herculean task that lies ahead against a team who are in a higher rank than India and has given some good head-to-head matches.
On Monday, during the pre-match press conference head coach Igor Stimac said that team India shall not be playing the match to make it a draw in spite of the fact that a draw can make the team win the series. Instead, the team shall be taking the field with a positive mindset and will try to win the game.
Team India shall get a boost as some of the players who have played during the ISL final shall return to the lineup. And the coach too will be having a good option for choosing the best XI for the final squad. His only concern right now is about Manvir Singh, the Indian striker who is suffering an injury. On Sunday, Sahal A Ahmed has been picked up from the reserves and has been made to join the team.
Gurpreet S Sandhu who had been in the Indian squad during Indiaβs last two matches against Kyrgyzstan has the probability to replace Manvir Singh. It has also been confirmed that Bipin Singh and L Chhangte will be retaining their place in the team after showing brilliance in the last game. There are also chances of making Anwar Ali play the final game to handle the attack of Kyrgyzstan like their captain A Shukurov being one such player.
The India coach has also pointed out the fact that the pitch of the previous venue was a reason behind the dismal display of Kyrgyzstan. And the team shall come very strongly against India in the final game to show their quality and worth. Even the coach of Kyrgyzstan has said that they are looking ahead to turn things in their favor in the game against India. They have reviewed their previous game to see the things that have gone wrong and they have analyzed the games of India in this tournament too. The team is looking forward to rectifying them in the game against India.