We play to win, claims Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in lead up to World Cup qualifiers

India will kickstart their 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign on September 5 against a strong opposition in the form of Oman. The tournament will also act as the qualifiers for the AFC Asia Cup to be held in China in 2023 and the team’s premier shot-stopper is confident of coming away with a positive result from the match.

“We play to win. We will play to our strengths, and look to keep the opposition at bay. Hopefully, we can get off to a good start and pick up the maximum points to start off the qualifiers,” Gurpreet Singh Sandhu was reported saying by Scroll.in.

While the Blues are placed 103rd in the world rankings, Oman are placed as many as 16 spots above them and they are yet to lose to India in an official match so far in their history. However, an Indian victory will be a significant step in their surge for qualification, as they have also been drawn with Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Asian champions Qatar.

“We have to play together as a team, and without fear. Getting off to a good start will be really important,” he added.

The last time the two teams had clashed was last year in the run-up to the Asia Cup and the match had resulted in a goalless draw, albeit an entertaining one.

“Of course, it is good to keep in mind what happened when we last faced Oman. We need to make sure we put on a good show in front of our home crowd in Guwahati,” the Arjuna awardee said.

However, this time India will be taking the field with a new face on the touchline in the form of Igor Stimac. The Croatian took over a few months ago and though failed to produce results in the King’s Cup and the Intercontinental Cup, he is trying to integrate a possession-based brand of attacking football in the team. Accordingly, he has done a squad overhaul and has been quick to give young players a chance to prove their mettle on the international stage.

“A lot has changed, we have a new squad, new set of players and a different coach. On the pitch, we are trying to implement the style of play asked by the coach and put our best foot forward. Off the pitch, it has been pretty much the same, which is a good thing as you want to continue the good things that have been happening off the field,” Sandhu concluded.