Indian men's senior national football team head coach Igor Stimac is confident of his side's determination and hunger to win their upcoming game, as they face Hong Kong in the final group stage clash in round three of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata on Tuesday.
Stimac believes his team's display of grit in their previous game against Afghanistan will set a precedent and hold them well in the future.
The 54-year-old also added that the Blue Tigers need to be far-sighted of the threat posed by Hong Kong, labelling the side as a quality one, crediting the side for topping the group as things stand.
"We need to complement Hong Kong for what they've shown in their first two games and deservedly they're leading the group at the moment because they have a better goal difference. They are a well-organised, disciplined side with enough quality to defend as well as attack, but we've studied their strengths and weaknesses, and we know what we need to do to win this game," said Igor Stimac during the official pre-match press conference, as per the ISL website.
Team India defeated Afghanistan in their previous AFC Asian Cup Qualifier match by 2-1 on Saturday. Stimac feels that the team will be analyzing every player's fitness before the clash against Hong Kong.
"Recovery process does not change. It's about the fitness level of each player and speed of recovery they need until the next game comes. After Monday's practice session and Tuesday morning's screening, we'll see where we stand and who we will start [the game] with, which is really important because we need fresh legs," said Stimac.
( With inputs from ANI )
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