Uphill task for India

The visitors find themselves in a far more comfortable position with a 2-0 cushion and would be hoping to score an early goal to put more pressure on the Indians.

Though handicapped to some extent by lack of any exposure trip, the Indians had themselves to blame for conceding two goals in the first leg match at the Suphan Buri Stadium and now have no option but to win by a 3-0 margin to qualify to the next round.

A 2-0 win for India would mean that both teams finish with equal points and the match would then spill over to extra time and tie-breaker todetermine the qualifiers.

“We’ll try our best and hopefully things will fall into place. An early goal is an absolute must. The Thais two-goal advantage is our biggest drawback,” chief coach PK Banerjee said.

The injuries to mid-fielder Hardeep Singh Sangha and forward Surjeet Singh have been a worrying factor for the Indian camp though two other injured players have recovered fully and would take the field on the morrow.

Sangha, one of the key players in the team, has a knee injury while Surjeet is suffering from a painful ankle and it remains to be seen whether the duo can recover fully by Saturday.

Banerjee does not believe that the prevailing slushy conditions due to the monsoon rains would work to India’s advantage as the Thai footballers were also used to such conditions.

Captain Dipendu Biswas’ indifferent form upfront has also blunted India’s firing line to some extent and the East Bengal striker would be hoping to make amends in his home city.

Despite finding themselves in a comfortableposition, the Thais are not taking their opponents lightly and their chief coach Prapol Phongphanick has already indicated that his team would like to return home with a win.

“We are here to win. Though we won, we did not play so well in the first leg match but we will try to improve our performance tomorrow,” Phongphanick said.