India hit the ground running in Kochi ahead of Tuesday's Turkmenistan clash
THE INDIAN NATIONAL TEAM, including their coach Stephen Constantine, are psyched to be back in Kerala for their last World Cup Qualifier group stage match against Turkmenistan.
The Blue Tigers started 2016 on a winning note when they lifted the SAFF Championship in Trivandrum early in January, and coach Constantine recounted to the official AIFF website the fond memories of that tournament after the team arrived in Kochi from Trivandrum,
"The support for the SAFF Cup was amazing. We just could not have done without their support. Some 45000 sang and chanted for us nonstop and without them we could not have won it in Trivandrum.”
The team took the overnight flight from Tehran via Dubai, but despite the exhaustion, did a full training and recovery session at Kochi's Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Constantine said,
“It was quite a tiring journey from Tehran. We look forward to fine tune some aspects in our Training session in Kochi... we need to assess some Players over the status of their injuries which they suffered in the last match.”
To many stars in one pix. @chetrisunil11 @SandeshJhingan @jejefanai #IndianFootball #BacktheBlue #IndvTkm #Ind pic.twitter.com/sCHlpkbn5H
— Indian Football Team (@AiffMedia) March 26, 2016
The Indian squad has replaced East Bengal winger Bikash Jairu with another red-and-gold medio Mohammed Rafique. Mohun Bagan keeper Debjit Majumder, who also received a late call-up to the camp, is likely to show up tomorrow, after playing in the Mariners' mid-break I-League clash with Aizawl FC. Captain Sunil Chhetri also joined the team after missing out on the trip to Iran with an injury.
The field looks lush. #IndianFootball #BacktheBlue #IndvTkm #Ind pic.twitter.com/Tq0gKrLAZW
— Indian Football Team (@AiffMedia) March 26, 2016
Constantine made it clear that he is taking Turkmenistan - a fresher and higher-ranked opponent - very seriously,
“Turkmenistan come into the game fresh as they did not have play any match on the 24th. They are a very good side with some quality Players who add to their strength. They are presently on 10 points in Group D and there’s a reason why they are ranked 113.”
Despite having no chance to make it to the next round of World Cup Qualifiers, India want to end their campaign on a positive note - possibly earning some FIFA ranking points - before they go into the playoffs for the next round of Asian Cup qualifiers.
