"We are excited that the kick-off time is close" - Indian football team's coach Igor Stimac ahead of 2023 AFC Asian Cup

Indian men's football team's head coach, Igor Stimac sounded optimistic ahead of his team's 2023 AFC Asian Cup opening fixture against Australia.

Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Stimac said:

"We are excited that the kick-off time is close. We have had a nice 12 days here working hard. All the boys are excited and we are looking forward to the game. Hopefully, it turns out to be wonderful for our 17 debutants. It is a place for them to learn."

The Blue Tigers begin their campaign on Saturday (January 13, 2024) against the 2015 champions, at Al Rayyan. When these two teams met each other in the AFC Asian Cup previously, Australia emerged victorious by a 4-0 margin back in 2011 at the very same city.

While the 2011 fixture was played at the Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium, the upcoming game is scheduled to be played at the Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium.

Although it will be India's fifth appearance overall at the quadrennial continental championship, it is for the very first time that they have qualified for successive editions.

"Our target is to have a good performance in the next three games" - Igor Stimac

Opening up about India's upcoming challenges at the AFC Asian Cup, where they play Uzbekistan and Syria after the game against Australia, the 56-year-old said:

"Our target is to have a good performance in the next three games as a team and as a country and use the experience from the tournament for the future."

Also, acknowledging the exposure of Australian players, he further went on to add:

"I'm not putting any pressure on players. We will go out and fight. It’s going to be a difficult match for us. We all know the strengths of Australia, and their achievements as well. Their players are coming in from European clubs, where they’ve been playing competitive football week in, and week out. It's not easy. But we are here to embrace all such challenges."

Highlighting the importance of the set pieces when they come up against a quality side like Australia, Igor Stimac said:

"We don’t have to give away set pieces. We know the strengths of Australia. They play very pragmatic football. They caused a lot of problems to England (in a friendly in October) and we can expect the storms coming out of them. We need to stay compact and do everything possible to stop crosses from the flanks."

Sunil Chhetri's men will be looking to brush aside the ghosts of their 2011 defeat and start off the tournament on a positive note when they enter the pitch for the clash against Australia. But as their coach admitted, it is not going to be an easy ride for them if they are to open their account in the points tally.