AFC Asian Cup | Pressure will be on us to perform, claims Sandesh Jhingan
Defender Sandesh Jhingan has admitted that the pressure is on the Indian football team and coach Stephen Constantine to make it to the knockout stage of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup to be played in the UAE. The Indian tigers will begin their campaign on January 6 as they take on Thailand in Abu Dhabi.
The Indian football team, under the guidance of Stephen Constantine, are preparing for a rough ride as they gear up to kick-off their 2019 AFC Asian Cup campaign on Sunday. And Kerala Blasters FC defender, Sandesh Jhingan has revealed that the onus will be on the men in blue to live up to the expectation of the fans at home and do the nation proud in the coming weeks.
Sunil Chhetri & Co. have been placed in Group A alongside Thailand, Bahrain and hosts UAE. The Indian team will play their first match on Sunday against Thailand, followed by games against UAE and Bahrain on January 10 and 14, respectively.
"UAE is the host team and I feel they will be tough to face. But I believe that the onus is all on us. If any team is over-confident or not at the top of its game, they can be beaten. If you are prepared as a team and focused on the job at hand, you can make the game tough for the opponents," Jhingan was quoted as saying by All India Football Federation's (AIFF) official website.
The last time India were part of the Asian showpiece, was back in 2011 when they were knocked out of the group stage itself. Jhingan added that qualification for the knockout stage would be tough but not impossible for Constantine’s boys.
"We have to stick to our plan and perform as the coach wants us to. We have to keep showing the unity which has made us stand out. If we do that, we can grind out the results we need," Jhingan said.
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