Football

Winning the game is very crucial, says Igor Stimac ahead of Kuwait clash

India’s football coach Igor Stimac said winning the game against Kuwait in the World Cup qualifiers will be really crucial. India was recently stunned by Afghanistan as they suffered a 2-1 loss and they will certainly look to come up with a better performance.

The match against Kuwait will also be Sunil Chhetri’s last international match for the Blue Tigers. The Croatian said that reaching the third round would be a huge boost for the Indian team.

“The game against Kuwait is going to be the most important match for India in the last three decades. India never could achieve the third round in the World Cup Qualifiers. Having the very opportunity to be in that position is an achievement by itself,” the Blue Tigers’ coach said.

“Reaching there (Round 3) will be another step in Indian football history,” said Stimac. “It will be an amazing thing to have the opportunity to play another 10 games against the best Asian teams and dream big about trying to reach the biggest stage of football.”

Asked how he is preparing his boys for the fateful night on June 6, Stimac said: “In the way we always do. We now have the opportunity to train and spend time together for a longer period to bring the intensity level up and achieve the needed level of international football.

“For such an important game, we need to do a few things; in regards to strength conditioning, in regards to understanding what it needs, in regards to how important this game is, and in regards to mental strength and self-confidence. So, we work on all aspects needed for our boys to be on top of their form in this game,” he said.

The coach said: “There are two key points for the preparations for this game. First, winning the game is crucial. And to reach that target, we need to be very clever. We need to understand that in the game, we require patience. If we don’t open the scoring in the first half an hour, we need to be intelligent and play quality football together with pace.

India had also beaten Kuwait in the SAFF Championship final in 2023 in Bengaluru and they will look to replicate the same performance.

“Each of those matches was very tough and I can clearly state that we controlled all those games in superb ways,” he said. “We dominated for the bigger parts in each one of these games. We were above them physically. But on other occasions, before the Kuwait games, we had many games that helped us reach that level.

“But it is a different game now because they are coming here when we didn’t have the opportunity to play games. No league is being played now, no club is available. But we did play two games between us to reach the intensity we required.

India will take on Kuwait at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata on June 6th.

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

India’s Junior Men Clinch Bronze with Gritty 2-1 Win Over Australia in Four Nations Tournament

The Indian junior men’s hockey team wrapped up their campaign at the Four Nations Tournament… Read More

June 26, 2025

Suryakumar Yadav Undergoes Successful Sports Hernia Surgery, Eyes Return for Bangladesh Tour

India's T20I captain Suryakumar Yadav has successfully undergone surgery for a sports hernia in his… Read More

June 26, 2025

Golden Glove Winner Jaspreet Singh Joins Bengaluru FC in Key Summer Move

Bengaluru FC have taken a decisive step toward rebuilding their squad by signing goalkeeper Jaspreet… Read More

June 26, 2025

Ravi Shastri says opening Test loss against England is a tough pill to swallow for India

Former Indian head coach Ravi Shastri believes the opening Test loss against England is a… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says England batters’ approach made Jasprit Bumrah desperate for wickets in 2nd innings of 1st Test

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes England batters were able to find a way… Read More

June 26, 2025

Varun Aaron says Karun Nair will be disappointed with his opening Test performance against England

Former Indian fast bowler Varun Aaron believes Karun Nair will be disappointed after he failed… Read More

June 26, 2025