Yangon: Just a few days after winning their first-ever away International Friendly match since June 2005 against Cambodia in Phnom Penh, the Indian senior men's football team landed in Yangon on Saturday afternoon for what national coach Stephen Constantine described as their "bigger challenge."
Constantine said that it was nice to be training in Phnom Penh for two days after the International Friendly.
"The weather conditions in Phnom Penh are almost similar to that of Yangon. The sessions were very helpful and I need to thank the Cambodia Football Federation for their cooperation."
The Indian football team had their first practice session Sunday in Yangon and will be practicing at the match venue for an hour on Monday evening.
Referring to the crucial clash against Myanmar, Constantine echoed, "The match against Cambodia was necessary to gauge a lot of things. But Myanmar will be a much bigger challenge for us. We are aware of their strength. Their recent performances show how difficult a Team they are to play against."
The last time India played in Yangon was in the Qualifiers of the AFC Challenge Cup in 2013 when they went down by a solitary goal in the decider.
When asked whether the past results against Myanmar bother him, Constantine said, "Not really! History will show that the same players are not always playing. The situations are always different and both teams would be playing after a long gap. I feel the circumstances are always different. But at the same time, I cannot deny history; in fact, nobody can. But we can't bring it back. Yesterday will always stay yesterday and at the same time, today is another day."
The Indian coach, however, admitted that Myanmar are definitely the favourites in the match.
"Yes, Myanmar are definitely the favourites. Playing at home is always an advantage for any Team. They have been together for some time and the familiarity with each other is so much beneficial when you take the field. They certainly have the advantage. They work very hard and love to press. When you combine with the two with the ability they have and add the crowd and atmosphere to it, the combination is just deadly," he said.
24-member squad:
Goalkeepers: Subrata Paul, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, TP Rehneesh.
Defenders: Pritam Kotal, Nishu Kumar, Sandesh Jhingan, Arnab Mondal, Anas Edathodika, Dhanpal Ganesh, Fulganco Cardozo, Narayan Das, Jerry Lanrinzuala.
Midfielders: Jackichand Singh, Udanta Singh, Eugeneson Lyngdoh, Milan Singh, Md. Rafique, Rowllin Borges, Halicharan Narzary, CK Vineeth.
Forwards: Jeje Lelkephlua, Sunil Chhetri, Daniel Lalhimpuia, Robin Singh.
