Advantage Malaysia, but we also have some surprises: Igor Štimac – Dainik Savera Times

Kuala Lumpur: The Indian football team will look to pull off a surprise against hosts Malaysia on Friday in the opening match of the Independence Festival, also known as Pestabola Merdeka in the local language, at the Bukit Jalil Stadium. On the eve of the Malaysia match, India head coach Igor Stimac said, ‘We are aware of the good performance of Malaysia in the last few months. They have a good coach and some amazing homegrown players, who are very well supported by natural players. So there is a lot of stability in the team at the moment.

Malaysia have played nine international matches so far this year and have posted an impressive record of six wins, two draws and just one loss. Stimac said, ‘I believe that Malaysia will have the advantage in the first match. Obviously, they are on their home ground and they have performed well here, but we are here to do something shocking against them. ”They have a very stable, competitive side and they have a clear idea of ​​what they need to do on the pitch. We are in a similar situation, but with 90,000 supporters and our record away from home, which has not been that good, it will benefit Malaysia.

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India is well aware of the heritage and history behind Pestabola Merdeka, having played the tournament 17 times. However, the Blue Tigers also have an eye on FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Kuwait and Qatar next month. Stimac said, ‘We are aware of the history and importance of this tournament and we will do everything we can to win two matches and lift the trophy for the first time, but we also need to be mindful of the challenges that lie ahead.’

“It is very important that we do not risk any injuries because we have two very important World Cup qualifiers coming up in November. Being in Pot 2 of the World Cup Qualifiers draw, we have a very good chance of making it to Round 3 for the first time and that is very important for us. The India head coach also praised the collective team spirit of his players for winning three consecutive titles during the Tri-Nation Cup, Intercontinental Cup and SAFF Championship in the last few months.

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‘I think the strength and unity of our team will be beneficial for us against Malaysia. We have played some very competitive tournaments and proved that we are moving forward. We have won three tournaments at home and now the time has come for us to improve our record away from home. India centreback Sandesh Ngangan is looking forward to the first match against Malaysia, a country which was kind of special for him during his formative years.

“Malaysia was the first country I went to to play football during my school days, so that memory will always be special to me. It’s great to come back and play in a historic tournament like Merdeka. ‘I’ve read everything about its history and heritage and it’s great to be a part of such an event,’ Nyangan said.