Cambodia vs India PREVIEW: a mellow win is not enough; the Blue Tigers need to go on a hunt

THE TONE HAS been set.

Earlier today, Myanmar played a preparatory friendly against the Indonesia U-22 national team. It was a neat affair. They played a pretty talented youth squad from a country that's eyeing a turnaround from a dark phase. A 3-1 victory for Myanmar, a proper runabout ahead of their Asian Cup Qualifier third round opener.

For India, it's not so simple though. They have opted to prepare themselves with a full fledged international friendly. An away match in a football crazy country. Although Cambodia aren't in the best of shapes when it comes to their recent form, they are not to be toyed with at their own backyard.

The mega 70,000 capacity Olympic Stadium at Phnom Penh has sold out already. What the Cambodian fans expect is a fight from their own heroes against a much higher ranked team; their own David vs Goliath story. They have a tough group to face up to in the Asian Cup qualifiers and they desperately need a breather after a 5 game losing streak.

The Kouprey Blue (as the Cambodia national team is known) received nothing less of a jold in the last friendly they played; getting hammered 7-2 by Saudi Arabia. Head coach Tae-Hoon Lee has been trying to make some changes; he's got a bunch of younger faces into the team and tomorrow is the first test run he gets to see if recent bad habits like a leaky defence and a midfield that collapsed under pressure have been brought under control or not.

But one thing that Cambodia can do well is get their opponents on a counter. Attackers like Chan Vathanka, Keo Sokpheng and Prak Monyudom are a threat to any defensive unit that hasn't gelled that well; for example, a national team that has only kept 2 clean sheets in their last 10 matches, and haven't played a match in the last 6 months. 

Basically, this game more than anything else is a test for the Indian defenders. The Blue Tigers are going in with an expectation of victory - whatever extra pressure that comes with it, our players should be able to handle that by now after the harrowing last 2 years - but it's also about getting the coordination right between the back four and the keeper. The fact that Constantine gave the captain's armband to Gurpreet may have something to do with this. Since the stadium has an artificial pitch, a rough physical game to intimidate Cambodian attackers will be a tougher ask, but that's not an excuse; as Constantie said earlier today.

Playing in a harsh climate in front of a massive hostile crowd should also be a good experience for the Indian players. It's not often that they get to see an away crowd this big. If this contributes towards them being able to steel themselves for the biggest test - playing in Kyrgyzstan away from home - so much the better.

But apart from these particular tests, this match is also meant to be a confidence booster for India. Especially the attackers. Cambodian defenders often fall short when facing tall, physically imposing forwards. The Saudi Arabia game was a case in point. The opportunity to bring Robin Singh back to the national team starting XI in style seems too good to pass for Constantine. Udanta and Holicharan, meanwhie, will find themselves faced with pacy, crafty fullbacks known for precise tackles. Eugeneson and Sunil Chhetri may benefit from free-flowing roles that let them find their own rhythm ahead of the Myanmar game.

So the task India are facing is not just to come out with a win, but to get an emphatic victory, preferably with a high margin. Something that clearly outshines the groove Myanmar have been building up ahead of next week's clash. Something that sends a message that the Blue Tigers have made themselves at home in the far east, and the hunt has already begun.