"3 points against Cambodia mean nothing if we don't win against Afghanistan" - India coach Igor Stimac 

The Indian national team made a winning start to their AFC Asian Cup 2023 Qualifiers campaign against a lowly-ranked Cambodia on Wednesday, June 8. However, head coach Igor Stimac has stressed that the three points against the Angkor Warriors mean nothing if the Blue Tigers can't replicate a similar performance against Afghanistan in their upcoming clash.

Sunil Chhetri and Co. will lock horns with the Afghans in their second Group D fixture of the final round of qualifiers on Saturday, June 11, at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, the Croatian gaffer made it clear that victory in the opening game was pivotal in reinstilling confidence in the dressing room. But he stressed that India "need to" win against the Lions of Khorasan.

"The win helps with regards to confidence in the dressing room," Igor Stimac stated. "We have had our ups and downs previously, and once the competition starts obviously the best possible start is to start with a win.

"But of course, the three points against Cambodia mean nothing if we don't win against Afghanistan. We are at point zero looking at the job at hand. So what we need to do is win against Afghanistan, simple as that," he added.

The tactician pointed out that the game against the Afghans will be more difficult given their physical superiority. To tackle this, Stimac felt, India would need to showcase good positioning and reading of the game.

Given Anoush Dastgir's men are expected to win most of the duels, India will have to be smart and proactive throughout the 90 minutes.

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"We don't have a reason to rush, but they do" - Igor Stimac not looking to go for all-out pressure against Afghanistan

While India got off to a winning start, Afghanistan suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Hong Kong in their opening encounter. Hong Kong pressed high up the pitch and squeezed out two goals in the first half itself. Although Afghanistan looked like the better side in the first half, they couldn't restore parity.

Asked by Sportskeeda if India could follow a similar high-pressure approach on Saturday, Igor Stimac explained:

"There were different phases in that game. Obviously, in the first phase, when the legs were still fresh, Hong Kong players were making a middle press. Whenever the ball was passed in the middle, the Hong Kong players were there taking the ball off the Afghani midfielders and even scored the first goal out of one of these middle presses.

"But you cannot stick to high pressing for more than 15 minutes in these weather conditions. So you need to be very careful. Pressing high and not scoring out of it could put you in trouble for the rest of the game. The game goes on for 90 minutes and we don't have a reason to rush, but they do. So let's think that way," the gaffer added.

Meanwhile, Stimac revealed that Anirudh Thapa and Roshan Singh, who suffered slight niggles in the last game, have been recovering well. Along with them, Rahul Bheke, who missed the Cambodia match with an injury, will be in contention to start the match.

Even before the qualifiers kicked off, the tie against Afghanistan was chalked up as one of the crucial tests. With all the context added now, India's need for a victory against their South Asian rivals is of paramount importance.