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Sunil Chhetri expressed his excitement about playing against the best team in Asia in the shape of Iran in the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers against Iran in Bengaluru. Chhetri, who was named the captain for the qualifier, has played against the Iran U-23’s for the Indian team in the Asian Cup.
“It is a game I am definitely looking forward to. I was speaking to the boys and I was telling them how often will you play Iran in a World Cup Qualifier. This is my second opportunity in ten years. I have been playing for the National team for ten years and I get my first opportunity to play the senior team of Iran,” Chhetri said.
“It is something to relish. You are not going to play big teams like Iran every now and then. This is sad, but it is a fact. This is an opportunity for us to see where we stand against the best in the continent.”
Talking about the match against the Asian heavyweights, Chhetri said that the team was well aware of the capabilities their opponents possessed and emphasized that it was important that the team maintained focus and follow the instructions of the coach to the letter.
“I think the most important thing is to understand who we are playing. We all know who we are playing tomorrow. Iran is definitely the best team in Asia, but the most important thing for us is to know we are going to perform tomorrow. It is always difficult to play how you want to play when you are playing against a higher ranked team, but we will try our best against them. It’s very important for us to understand how we are going to play tomorrow.
Earlier Subrata Pal had echoed similar emotions when talking about their esteemed opponents stating, “They have been regular qualifiers to the World Cup and their quality speaks about themselves. But we would be wearing the Indian jersey and representing 1.24 billion people. That itself is a motivation for all of us.”
India currently lie last in the table after losing their opening two matches against Oman and Guam. They are now faced with an uphill task of even qualifying for the Asian Cup.
