Dushanbe (Tajikistan): India’s football coach Igor Stimac on Friday said he is “not afraid” to field a completely new team in the next FIFA World Cup Qualifying round match against Oman after the side played out a disappointing draw with lower-ranked Afghanistan.
India drew 1-1 with Afghanistan in their World Cup Qualifying round match here on Thursday, the late equaliser from Seiminlen Doungel in added time being the saviour for the team.
The result meant the 106-ranked India remained winless in their qualifying campaign so far.
But Stimac has moved on and shifted his focus to Muscat where India are slated to face-off with Oman on Tuesday.
“We know for a fact that match is going to be very difficult for us. We need to see how quickly we recover after the difficult game that we had just played,” Stimac said.
“We have many new young players coming through and it’ll be difficult to expect great results from them immediately. I have enough players in my disposal and I’m not afraid to put an all-new team against Oman,” he added.
On being asked about the upcoming Oman match, he stated, “Oman’s football acumen is there for everyone to see. They are a formidable force at home and we have a steep mountain to climb.
“We have garnered some good results in the past and if we can execute our plans, we can be hopeful.” (PTI)
