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Ahead of the Indian men's national team's clash against Singapore on Saturday, September 24, head coach Igor Stimac underlined that the opponents will have a slight advantage owing to their high-pressing style of play.
However, the Croatian boss stressed in a statement to the AIFF media team that his side will need to play with confidence to overcome the challenge.
He averred:
“Singapore made big progress in recent years. They have a new coach, who has made some changes in the system that often makes things difficult for the opponents. But I will tell my players to play confidently against them and show what exactly we have in store for them.
“Singapore are quite good, especially in the high pressing area. I have observed the way they press the ball all over the pitch to make things which is making it tough for the rivals. So, there is one small advantage they have in this regard.”
The Blue Tigers have traveled to Vietnam to face Singapore and the host nation in the Hung Thinh Friendly Football Tournament on September 24 and 27, respectively.
This will be India's first clash against Singapore in 10 years, with the Southeast Asian nation having improved leaps and bounds. But Stimac remains confident of his team's chances of bagging a positive result, saying:
“I think that we have enough players with technical ability who can find a way to escape from the such high press, and with many players in the middle making it tight and difficult. But we are going to find spaces on the weak positions and play as per our plan.”
Igor Stimac talks about the importance of long-term planning
The last few international matches have given India enough momentum and confidence going into the upcoming clashes.
In June, India beat Cambodia, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong in consecutive AFC Asian Cup Qualifier matches to book their berth in the continental tournament next year.
Stimac believes the performances in June are not just a result of overnight success. He stated:
“We started on a long-term plan basis and didn’t expect to achieve anything overnight. We planned carefully, selecting the players, spotting them and giving them chance to prove their work and then the national team shirt to wear.
"After the three-year process, we have stability, composure, and surely better prospects than it was three years ago. I am convinced that we have a better future."
The Blue Tigers have managed to build a relatively young and stable core team. However, with the AFC Asian Cup next year, India will need to use their upcoming matches judicially to strengthen their squad.
Meanwhile, the match against Singapore is scheduled to kick off at 5.30 pm IST on Saturday and will be broadcast live on Eurosport India.
