SAFF Championship 2023: They will want a piece of us, says Sunil Chhetri ahead of semi-final clash with Lebanon

Ahead of his team’s SAFF Championship semi-final clash against Lebanon, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri on Friday admitted that he knows a lot about his opponent, with whom he has played twice recently, and has been able to do so After all, they may want a “piece” of them. They won two matches against the Blue Tigers.

According to a press release, the Indian senior men’s team will take on Lebanon for the third time in a little over a fortnight in the semi-finals of the SAFF Championship 2023 on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. All India Football Federation (AIFF). After playing out a goalless draw in the group stage, the Blue Tigers pulled off an impressive 2–0 win over the Seeders and claimed the Intercontinental Cup title in Bhubaneswar. Igor Stimac’s men then traveled to the south of India to participate in the 14th edition of the SAFF Championship, which is also the first event to feature guest teams such as Lebanon and Kuwait.

With wins over Pakistan (4–0) and Nepal (2–0), India finished second in Group A, only behind Kuwait on goals scored. Top spot was in the hosts’ grasp as they were leading 1-0 against Kuwait just six minutes before the full-time whistle on Tuesday, until Anwar Ali’s own goal restored parity, lifting India to second place. Had to be satisfied with The following day, Lebanon beat Maldives 1–0 to end their Group B campaign with nine points, adding to their wins over Bangladesh (2–0) and Bhutan (4–1).

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Stimac was shown his second red card of the tournament against Kuwait, which saw him suspended from the dugout for the crucial semi-final match. However, skipper Sunil Chhetri assured that the team would do well under assistant coach Mahesh Gawli.

“A lot of preparation is done before the day of the game where he (Stimac) will be involved. Of course, you want your leader to be on the sidelines. But whatever little bit we will be missing during the match is his main The man (Gawli). Will make sure we miss him less,” Chhetri was quoted as saying by the AIFF press release.

Gawli, who also took the reins during the 2-0 win against Nepal, is determined to repeat what the Blue Tigers did against Lebanon in Odisha. “Our boys are motivated, committed and focused for the fight against Lebanon. We will continue with the same attitude we have shown in the tournament so far,” said the former India international.

When Gawli was asked, “They had a problem with the weather in Bhubaneswar, but they are playing better here. It will be a different match. They are a strong attacking team. Their number seven (captain Hasan Matouk) is a very talented player.” Is.” For his views on Lebanon.

Adding to his former teammate’s words, Chhetri said, “We know a lot about Lebanon as we have already played them twice. I am sure they have the same feeling about us. Because of what happened, they will also want a part of us back.” In the last two matches.”

Sandesh Jhingan’s second yellow card of the tournament against Kuwait means the strong central defender will also be unavailable for the semi-finals. Admitting that the absence of the Hero of the Tournament in the line-up for tomorrow’s Intercontinental Cup would be a big blow for India, Chhetri assured that his places would be duly filled.

“Personally, I have always wanted to play with Jhingan, be it with the national team, club or at the training ground. The number one reason is that he doesn’t like to lose. I hope, after the game, I can give you I can tell we haven’t missed him as whoever replaces him will do justice and give his best and I know that for a fact,” said the captain.

Always fond of playing in front of his home fans at Kanteerava, Chhetri can’t wait for more unconditional support from the stands tomorrow.

“I and a lot of the boys are very greedy when it comes to playing in Bengaluru. We have had very good support in the last three matches. I am sure you will reach the semi-finals also because you all are loved.” Football and it’s a big sport for us.”

Lebanon head coach Aleksandar Ilic will hope they learn from their mistakes in Bhubaneswar and give the hosts a tough fight this time around. According to the Serbian coach, the cool weather in Bengaluru will work in his favour.

“Both teams know what is in front of them. There are no secrets between the teams anymore. We will try to make the best team possible with the options we have for tomorrow. We are very motivated. Psychologically it is important That we believe we can be successful. The weather is more pleasant here. We will use those two games to prepare ourselves better for tomorrow,” Ilic said.

“For us, this game is very important. We have worked hard in the last two months and really want to prove ourselves. This will be our eighth game in India. Two of our players (Jihad Ayyub and Suni Saad) return Since this tournament is not taking place during the FIFA international break. But we will adapt ourselves against a very strong team,” said the Lebanese legend, who called on Mohamed Sadek and Ali Shaitou as replacements.