A day before India U-23 gears up to face Singapore U-23 in the second International Friendly between the two Teams in a span of three days, National Coach Stephen Constantine, presently in charge of India’s U-23 campaign, feels there is “no room for complacency.”
“In fact, we can’t afford it,” he said, in reference to India’s dominant display in the first International Friendly on July 9 when a Germanpreet Singh made the difference between the two sides.
Earlier this year, India reached the top 100 in FIFA Rankings for the first time in 21 years. It is the sixth time since Independence that India has been ranked inside the 100, and credit must go to Constantine under whose watch the team jumped 73 places in the rankings.
The two International matches have been organised by All India Football Federation (AIFF) to help the U-23 Team prepare for the forthcoming AFC U-23 Qualifiers in Doha where India has been clubbed with host Qatar, Syria and Turkmenistan in Group C, which kicks-off on July 19.
Allaying injury worries ahead of the match, Constantine informed: “We don’t have any.”
“I am not someone to comment on my rival Team but can say that Singapore have some skillful players in their squad who at times looked very good,” Constantine, under whose coaching India has now won 9 International matches on the trot (including 8 with the Senior Team), maintained.
The Indian contingent will head to Doha on July 15 once its commitments in Singapore end.
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