Former Indian footballer Bhaichung Bhutia expressed hope that this yr will likely be a fantastic one for the Indian soccer and stated that the group wants a constant striker to switch the retired legend and former captain Sunil Chhetri. Bhutia was speaking to ANI in Siliguri and stated, “After a disastrous 2024, I hope 2025 will likely be an excellent yr for the group. We have the Asia Cup qualifier which I imagine we will qualify. We have gotten a few good matches coming, some friendlies. The group additionally appears to be like good.” Talking about changing Chhetri, Bhutia stated that the group wants somebody who can rating targets as persistently because the 40-year-old icon.
“There are some good gamers arising. Hopefully this yr, we will get our subsequent Sunil Chhetri. There is a niche throughout the group and there’s nonetheless a seek for it. There should not many strikers constant in goal-scoring. But there are some good gamers like Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh (from Mohun Bagan Super Giant) who’re taking part in properly,” he added.
Bhutia stated that the group wants to begin successful as they didn’t register even a single win final yr and they should enhance up their rating for the sake of qualification for future competitions and the group’s confidence.
“The group wants extra time by way of coaching and preparations for the Asia Cup. The Coach is new (Manolo Marquez). Although he is aware of many of the gamers from ISL (Indian Super League), realizing gamers extra will assist him coordinate,” he added.
India was drawn in opposition to Hong Kong, Singapore and Bangladesh in Group C of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 Qualifiers Final Round. The draw, which noticed 24 groups divided into six teams of 4, was held on the AFC House in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on December 9, 2024.
Only the six group winners will qualify and be part of the 18 groups who’ve already punched their tickets to the AFC Asian Cup Saudi Arabia 2027 after the second spherical of qualifying. The Qualifiers Final Round will likely be contested over six match days in a home-and-away format between March 25, 2025 and March 31, 2026. India, aiming to qualify for 3 successive Asian Cups for the primary time of their historical past, will start their marketing campaign at house in opposition to Bangladesh.
India has confronted all three opponents within the current previous. The Blue Tigers final confronted Bangladesh within the 2021 SAFF Championship, Hong Kong within the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers in Kolkata in June 2022, and Singapore within the Hung Thinh Friendly Tournament in Vietnam in September 2022.
As of now, India is ranked at 126th within the FIFA Men’s Football Team Rankings.
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