Coach Stephen Constantine says that India have the ability to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2019 Asian Cup. Constantine and team manager Shanmugam Venkates was at the AFC Asian cup draw which was held at the iconic Burj Khalifa in Dubai(UAE).
India were clubbed with hosts United Arab Emirates, Thailand and Bahrain in Group A of the AFC Asian Cup.
“I think it’s a group from where we can qualify to the knockout stage. I won’t say it’s an easy group but we have the ability to win against some of these teams and on our day, we can beat most of them,” Constantine said.
“All these teams will give us different kinds of problems and we have to be prepared before facing them in the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019,” he added.
Speaking at the ceremony, Indian captain Sunil Chhetri who coordinated the picks for the four respective pots said: “The AFC Asian Cup is an enormous opportunity for us and we are looking forward to it. Back home in India, everyone is excited and we have the blessings of all the people and we will do our best.”
“The AFC Asian Cup gives us the opportunity to rub shoulders with the best of Asia and play against players who many of whom play in many a Premier League across Europe and other parts of the world. It will be an eye-opener and even if it is a learning experience, we aim to be competitive and give our best on the pitch,”
This is the fourth time when India qualified for the Continental tournament, last time they did was in 2011, held in Doha, where the “Boys in Blue” were outclassed by South Korea, Australia and Bahrain.
“I was part of the national team in 2011 in Doha where we last played in the Continental Championship. Qualifying to the Asian Cup for the second time in eight years is great for Indian football,” he added
