Indian Football team might be without captain Sunil Chhetri and Sandesh Jhingan during India’s Asian Games 2023 clash against China. Head coach Igor Stimac, fuming with the availability of limited time, stated that he would rather focus on the final two games.
“I am not thinking about the China game, don’t be surprised if Sandesh Jhingan and Sunil Chhetri are left out in the first game. I’m thinking of Bangladesh and Myanmar,” stated Igor Stimac.
“From a point of asking for a training camp, it has come to a point where we need to be happy with just getting the players before kick-off. Its a disservice to the national team. The things I was asking for, I wasn’t asking for myself,” Stimac said.
He wants to give it a try despite the fact that the odds and the circumstances are working against him. In order to go past the group stage, he has targeted the relatively simple games against Bangladesh (Sept. 21) and Myanmar (Sept. 24). The top two teams from each of the six groups of the 24 teams competing would move on to the quarterfinal round.
” We have to approach very carefully, keeping in mind the bigger picture. My playing XI will depend on the fitness condition of players,” Igor Stimac said.
“I have to be wise to see how much energy we can spend in the China match.”
On Tuesday, the Indian football team will face the Chinese host nation in the opening game of their Asian Games campaign. The Asian Games are set to begin on September 23, although the football competition will get under way on September 19. The Asian Games’ men’s football competition gets underway on September 19 and lasts until October 7.
Indian Football Team squad for Asian Games:
Goalkeepers: Gurmeet Singh, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Vishal Yadav.
Defenders: Sumit Rathi, Narender Gahlot, Deepak Tangri, Sandesh Jhingan, Chinglensana Singh, Lalchungnunga.
Midfielders: Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Samuel James Lyngdoh, Rahul KP, Abdul Rabeeh, Ayush Dev Chhetri, Bryce Miranda, Azfar Noorani, Vincy Barretto.
Forwards: Sunil Chhetri, Rahim Ali, Rohit Danu, Gurkirat Singh, Aniket Jadhav.