Kolkata: Indian striker Sunil Chhetri believes that 'Indian team won't need' him to make a difference when the Blue Tigers go out against Bangladesh in the FIFA World Cup 2022 qualifier.
"India won't need a Sunil Chhetri to make a difference. I'm just a little bit luckier and a little bit more experienced. I'm not trying to be cliche. It's a fact," the All India Football Federation (AIFF) quoted Chhetri as saying.
Chhetri has scored 72 international goals in 112 matches. On being informed that Bangladesh defenders will heavily mark him, he said: "If three people mark me, even four, we'll be happy. We can even have tea together." "It'll be 10 vs 6, and we'll get a numerical advantage. You need to understand that it's not only about me. Manvir, Balwant, Udanta, Ashique all are way better than me. You'll see it tomorrow," the 35-year-old added.
Coach Igor Stimac brushed aside the 'favourites' tag and stressed on the 'team mentality' during the pre-match press conference. "Being favourite doesn't matter on the matchday. You need to step up and perform on the pitch. It's eleven vs eleven. In a football match, there are always favourites and underdogs." Stimac said.
"You have to respect your teammates. You need to sacrifice yourself for the team. That is that's how a team is built and that's how we have started our work. What I can do for the team is of paramount importance," he added. Stimac showed immense respect for his counterpart, who had played with 'heart' against Asian champions Qatar four days before.
"They played with a great heart and created quite a few chances against Qatar. They deserved to win the game. We need to step up and get all three points tomorrow," added Stimac.
"Tomorrow's game is absolutely different from the first two. No one counted on us. I feel the pressure is on us and we need to work to release the kind of pressure from us. We just need to win the game and give us a chance for November. Let's wait and see what our boys can do tomorrow," he added. The Blue Tigers will face Bangladesh in the Salt Lake Stadium here on October 15.
-By Debayan Mukherjee
