By IANS
New Delhi : India will only require a draw against Kyrgyzstan Sunday to enter the final of the Nehru Cup international football tournament but coach Bob Houghton maintained that he would go for a win.
“We have to go for a win. If we play the same way as we played in the last three matches, I think we can make the final. If we win, it will also help us improve our rankings,” the national coach said after the team’s practice session Saturday.
India captain Bhaichung Bhutia reiterated Houghton’s view and said he would always prefer to qualify for the final by winning this match.
“When we go out to play we always think of a win and it won’t be any different on Sunday. We have to win this match to qualify for the final. Winning is a good habit and we should not lose it,” said Bhutia.
Both India and Kyrgyzstan have six points from three matches but the hosts have an edge on the basis of goal difference. India have a goal difference of +6 while the visitors have +1. Title favourites Syria have already made it to the finals.
Houghton said anything less than a place in the final would be a disappointment for him.
“If we don’t qualify for the final then it would be a big disappointment for us,” he said.
India have been impressive in the tournament. They opened their campaign with a big 6-0 win against Cambodia and in the second match defeated Bangladesh 1-0. However, in the last match against Syria the hosts went down fighting 2-3.
The score line against Syria is a clear reflection of the fact that it was a close match and India were unfortunate not to equalise after they came close to scoring in the last 10 minutes of the match.
Houghton said that there would be one change in the team with Renedy Singh, who was rested in the last game, replacing Clifford Miranda in the starting line-up. The Briton also said that Miranda may come in as a substitute in the second half.
“We will start with Renedy in place of Clifford. Clifford is an attacking midfielder and is more effective when he comes in as a substitute in the second half. Renedy is a more balanced player and has good defensive skills,” said Houghton.
Against Kyrgyzstan, Houghton won’t be drifting away from his preferred 4-4-2 formation of play and said that it covers any system of attack from the opponent. Bhutia will be playing upfront with Sunil Chettri while the midfield will comprise of Renedy Singh, N.S. Manju, Steven Dias and N.P. Pradeep.
Mahesh Gawli, N.S. Manju, Surkumar Singh and Gourmangi Singh will make up the defence with Subroto Paul under the bar.