Myanmar are favourites: Constantine
The Indian football team’s head coach Stephen Constantine on Sunday said that Myanmar would start as favourites against his side in the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers match on Tuesday.
Constantine said the Myanmar side have been together for some time and support from crowd would give them the advantage.
Moreover, Myanmar had beaten India 1-0 when the two teams met last.
“Myanmar are definitely the favourites. Playing at home is always an advantage for any team. They have been together for some time and the familiarity with each other is so much beneficial when you take the field. They certainly have the advantage,” Constantine said two days ahead of the crucial match.
Asked what was Myanmar’s biggest strength, he said, “They work very hard. When you combine the two with the ability they have and add the crowd and atmosphere to it, the combination is just deadly.”
Asked about the perception of Myanmar being the bogey team for India, he said, “History will show that the same players are not always playing. The situations are always different and both teams would be playing after a long gap. I feel the circumstances are always different.
“But at the same time, I cannot deny history; in fact, nobody can. But we cannot bring it back. Yesterday will always stay yesterday and at the same time, today is another day.
“On our day we can beat anybody. We hope to have a very good day and hope they have a very bad day. To beat them, we have to play very, very well and hope that they don’t play very, very well,” said the Englishman.
Before the Cambodia match on March 22, which India won 3-2, Constantine had said that some of his players had niggling injuries.
“We are in a good place now. Nothing is too serious and the players are ready,” he said.
Myanmar had beaten India 1-0 when the two teams last met