India head coach Stimac remains wary ahead of opening match with Cambodia

India will take on Cambodia in their first game of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup Qualifier on Wednesday, June 8 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Cambodia, despite their lowly FIFA rankings, can be a threat, according to head coach Igor Stimac. He stressed that Cambodia will put up a fight against the hosts.

Asked if India should be able to beat the Angkor Warriors by a margin of two or more goals, the Croatian gaffer underlined in the pre-match conference on Tuesday:

"Cambodia hasn't come here to just participate and lose their matches. We need to give them the respect they deserve. Football today doesn't bring any easy games. The difference in teams ranked between 100 to 180 is very little. When India were 184 or 150, they did not go to participate, they did not go to lose, they went to win games."

Stimac's men will kick off their campaign against Cambodia on June 8 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. 11 nations will qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup from the final round of qualifiers. Six group toppers and five best runners-up will make the cut.

The head coach was also asked if he should be calling up more players from the I-League into the national team. Addressing the concern, the former Hajduk Split coach said:

"For the national team, I only call the best players. And the best indian players are those playing in the ISL. We need those players who can take us to the next level."

Igor Stimac hopeful of having massive home support for India

All the talks around Qualifier matches have been in regards to the massive home support that is expected at the Salt Lake Stadium. Although there have been lapses in the ticketing system, over 50,000 tickets have already been sold. Asked about the expected turn out and if it will give India an edge, the head coach responded:

“We are expecting football fans to come in numbers to stand with the national team to push the boys to reach the extra length and help us to win these three games. When we played in Kolkata last time, against Bangladesh, the crowd motivated us to grab a late equalizer in what was a tough match.”

Star defender Sandesh Jhingan, who was also present at the press conference, echoed similar thoughts. He said that this is what he head dreamt of as a child -- to play in front of packed stadiums.

Meanwhile, the 28-year-old centre-back has had long bouts with injuries over the past few years. However, the ATK Mohun Bagan defender has fought back from the rough patch to regain the starting spot for both club and country.

Asked if going into the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers he was back to his usual best, the former Kerala Blasters defender replied with a rhetorical question and a smile:

"Did you see my performances in the AFC Cup? Did you think I was fit?"