India and Syria will go head-to-head for the Intercontinental Cup 2024 trophy in the third and final game of the tournament at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Monday.
India, who began the competition with a 0-0 draw against Mauritius on Tuesday, are eyeing their second consecutive Intercontinental Cup, and third overall. Syria beat Mauritius 2-0 on Friday, which means they hold a slight advantage heading into the final game as the Eagles of Qasioun require only a draw to claim the trophy.
Syria have a long history of playing tournaments in India, but the title has always evaded them. The West Asians lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 before finishing fourth in 2012. In their last trip to India in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, Syria ended in third place. But for the Blue Tigers to deny them a first silverware on Indian soil, they will need to end a winless streak stretching back to November last year.
“It will be a difficult game for both sides. It’s a friendly game, but the team who wins the game wins the trophy. We expect to play a good game and win the tournament,” said India head coach Manolo Márquez, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Saturday.
But the Spaniard also noted that the need of the hour for the national team is to play good football, and the results will follow.
“If you ask me, I prefer to play a good game than to win the tournament. I don’t want to win it 1-0, scoring with the hand. I want that, in this moment, the team understands our ideas and we play better because finally, it’s not about winning or losing. You need to arrive at a style of play and that’s what we are focusing on. Obviously when you win, the confidence grows and then it’s easier. But finally now it’s about that we believe that we can compete against all the teams. When you have time to work, the possibilities for success are more,” Márquez explained in the pre-match press conference.
Defender Jay Gupta concurred with his coach’s words. “Obviously, it’s a game where we have to fight for the cup, but we’re just focused on how we adapt to what the coach wants as soon as possible.”
Having completed a week of training in Hyderabad, the 22-year-old shared that the mood in the dressing room is positive after the arrival of Márquez at the helm.
“I think a lot of players have already been under coach Manolo for a longer time (in the clubs), so they would know how to adapt to him. But I just wanted to say the atmosphere in the dressing room is really, really positive. Thanks to the AIFF who chose coach Manolo, we feel very positive and we do believe in what he asks and as long as we do that, we know we will go in the right direction. So the dressing room is very happy that we have somebody that we can believe in,” said Gupta.
Márquez shared that fitness-wise, there’s still work to do for the players since the season is only getting started, but overall, he and his coaching staff are happy with the boys’ attitude in the training ground.
“When you are in the pre-season, you are not in your best moment physically. In fact, some players finished the first game very tired. And this is normal. One good thing is that all 25 players are available for tomorrow. We are satisfied with how they are working. We are very happy with the attitude they have in every training session,” said Márquez.
Like India, Syria are also in their new era under new head coach José Lana. The Spaniard was satisfied with their opening-game display against Mauritius as goals from Mustafa Abdullatif and Mahmoud Al-Mawas sealed a 2-0 win. He hopes to keep progressing and do even better against India.
“I think India are a great team. I like the way they play with this coach. They try to move the ball fast. I think it will be a difficult match for us. And our only objective for tomorrow is to be better than our previous match,” said Lana.
Sharing more thoughts on the Indian team, the Syrian coach said, “I think they have good organisation. They know how to play when they don’t have the ball. They try to press high. And when they have the ball, they try to play faster and move the ball from side to side.”
Goalkeeper Ahmad Madania, who kept the clean sheet when Syria beat India 1-0 in the AFC Asian Cup earlier this year, said, “We are technically and psychologically ready for tomorrow. The match against India will not be easy. They will play at their best in front of their fans. This tournament is very good for us to prepare with the new coach and the staff.”