Every single game we play, counts: Chhetri wants India to make most of upcoming friendlies
New Delhi: Ahead of the Indian football team's friendly match against Oman, skipper Sunil Chhetri wished his team the best and wants his side to make the most of it. India takes on Oman in Dubai on Thursday in the first of the two international friendlies, with the second match against the UAE slated for March 29. "Wishing the lads and the staff the best for today's game against Oman. Make the most of what is a solid opposition. Every single game we play counts. #INDOMA," Chhetri tweeted.
Chhetri is not taking part in the friendlies owing to medical reasons as he tested positive for coronavirus on March 11. The Blue Tigers last played at the international level in November 2019 in the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 World Cup Qualifiers.
Indian football team head coach Igor Stamic on Wednesday said that he is looking at the two upcoming international friendlies as an opportunity for youngsters to gain as much experience as they can, asserting that they are not "obsessed with the results". "There are many players, who are with us for the first time and are very young. Obviously, we are not going to put all of them to play at the same time, we are not going to take such a risk. We need to be very careful with them. They are our future. We need to rely on them, they showed in the past seasons that they can play good football... I hope they will use this chance to settle better and this will boost their confidence," Stimac had said in a virtual press conference.
