Hyderabad
Syria enters a new phase in its footballing history as it takes on Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup 2024 at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium on Friday.
The contest will be Syria’s first competitive match under new Spanish head coach Jose Lana.
Syria is the highest-ranked team (93) in the competition and is considered the favourite to win the tri-nation tournament. The Eagles of Qasioun have a different look than the squad it fielded for the AFC Asian Cup last year but still has some top-quality players in robust centre-back Thaer Krouma (who plies his trade with ISL title winner Mumbai City FC) and Pablo Sabbag, a wily forward adept in finding spaces between the opposition defence.
However, it has not been smooth sailing for Syria, which is plagued by injury problems before its Intercontinental Cup opener.
“We have some players with problems, they are not working with anything right now. They are working by themselves, and we’ll see what we can do tomorrow. But we hope to do a good job,” said Lana.
Syria and Mauritius have never played against each other in their history. However, Lana revealed that they watched videos of the Mauritians playing, and he had conducted video-analysis sessions with his team as part of preparations for the clash against the Les Dodos, making it clear that he does not believe in the concept of any team being the favourite.
“I think that we have to talk on the pitch. I don’t think that any team is better than another. I think we have good players. I like them a lot. They have a way to work. They want to show how good they are. More than 30 million people want to see them on the pitch defending their shirt,” said the Syria coach.
Defender Ayham Ousou, who plays his club football in Belgium for Royal Charleroi SC, said that this Syria team is new, with different players at different stages in the season (with some starting the league and some yet to). So, the best way to move forward is to focus on their performance rather than focus too much on the opposition.
“We respect every team that’s playing against us, but for us, I think it’s more about ourselves, what we can bring, because I know with the quality we have, the coaching staff we have, if we perform as we plan, then I think we will play a good game. We have respect for the team, but we will play our game,” Ousou said.
Mauritius was hailed for its gritty performance in its Intercontinental Cup opener, holding India to a goalless draw. Facing Syria next, head coach Guillaume Moullec was honest in admitting that his team has another challenging obstacle in front of him but welcomed the prospect of playing higher-ranked teams because his team would gain valuable experience, which would ultimately prove useful in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
“We are still learning and playing against teams that are higher-ranked. The next match is going to be more complicated. So our idea is to try to progress and test ourselves against better nations with more experienced players,” said Mauritius’ French coach.
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Moullec also hinted at rotating his players for the Syria clash, saying the idea is to give playing time to as many players as possible.
One player likely to retain his place is captain Lyndsay Rose, who won the ‘Man of the Match’ award against India for his solid defensive performance.
“It will be a very difficult game against Syria. They are also fresh; they didn’t play the last game. They had time to prepare themselves. But we are also here to progress, test ourselves and show the best of ourselves. We are competitors and [we] want to win this tournament with humility and respect,” said the Mauritius captain.
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