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Asian Cup Qualifiers: Sunil Chhetri-led India Ready For 171st Ranked Cambodia

Skipper Sunil Chhetri will get a chance to bolster his tally of 80 international goals as the Indian team gears up to steamroll 171st ranked Cambodia on Wednesday in its bid to make a fifth appearance in AFC Cup tournament proper. Cristiano Ronaldo (117 goals from 188 games), Lionel Messi (86 from 162 games) have been on a scoring spree and no wonder at his level, the Indian talisman would like to ride the roughshod over Cambodia, Afghanistan (150th) and Hong Kong (147th). While no one is comparing the international levels at which they operate, briefly surpassing Lionel Messi won't be a bad feeling for the 37-year-old.

I don't look at rankings, have respect for Cambodia: Igor Stimac

Igor Stimac refused to read much into their higher ranking on the eve of the Asian Cup Qualifiers, saying it doesn't matter in present day football. Eyeing a second straight Asian Cup qualification and fifth overall, 106th ranked India start as favourites and rank way higher than their three group D opponents in Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong. "I respect every opposition.

Asian Cup Qualifiers: Sunil Chhetri-led India look to dominate 171st-ranked Cambodia

Sunil Chhetri will get a chance to bolster his tally of 80 international goals as the Indian team gears up to face 171st-ranked Cambodia on Wednesday in its bid to make a fifth appearance in AFC Cup tournament proper. Cristiano Ronaldo (117 goals from 188 games), Lionel Messi (86 from 162 games) have been on a scoring spree and no wonder at his level, the Indian talisman would like to ride the roughshod over Cambodia, Afghanistan (150th) and Hong Kong (147th). While no one is comparing the international levels at which they operate, briefly surpassing Lionel Messi won't be a bad feeling for the 37-year-old. With the next Asian Cup slated in late 2023 or early 2024 after the pull-out of China, Chhetri, who will complete 17 years in international football, might see this tournament as the 'final frontier' in his illustrious career. "I want to qualify. If I'm not there, my country will be there. So either I'll be having a beer and watching Udanta sprint, or you having a beer and I'll be sprinting there. But we want to be there," Chhetri made his intention clear ahead of his 126th International appearance.

Always want to see India playing at Asian Cup, says 'fan' Sunil Chhetri

Asian Cup in front of the passionate fans at the Salt Lake stadium in Kolkata, which he described as the best in India, Indian national team captain Sunil Chhetri is gearing up to take on Cambodia in their first Group D match of 2023 AFC Asian Cup third-round qualifiers on Wednesday, followed by matches against Afghanistan and Hong Kong. The Blue Tigers play on home soil for the first time in almost three years. Incidentally, the last time they played at home it was in Kolkata in October 2019.

AFC Asian Cup qualifiers: Local players Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose feel 'VYBK atmosphere will be a big boost'

AFC Asian Cup final-round qualifiers at a packed Salt Lake Stadium will be a "big boost" for the Indian football team, feel Pritam Kotal and Subhasish Bose, the Bule Tigers' two local players. India have matches scheduled on June 8, 11, and 14. "Kolkata is the mecca of Indian football. The fans here are great. So many clubs have dedicated fans here, and the great thing is that they all come together to cheer for India when we play as a nation in this city," said Bose. "I hope there is a lot of noise from the stands. That will boost all of us. From our end, we need to pay them back with a qualification for the AFC Asian Cup." The last time the Blue Tigers played here was in 2019, and Kotal said the team can once again feel the home advantage.

You make massive difference, please come and support us: Sunil Chhetri to fans

Sunil Chhetri once again appealed to the fans to throng the stadium in large numbers during their upcoming Asian Cup Qualifiers beginning on June 8. It was during the Inter-Continental Cup in Mumbai 2018, Chhetri made an emotional appeal to fans on social media ahead of their match against Kenya. The next day a packed Mumbai Football Arena (MFA) witnessed Chhetri and Co. defeat Kenya 3-0. Back at the football-crazy Kolkata for their Asian Cup qualifiers, Chhetri, who will complete 17 years of International football on June 12, said the fans can make a "massive difference" at the 70,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium.

Tickets for India's Asian Cup qualifying round match sold out in 10 minutes, AIFF issues more

Asian Cup qualifying round match against Cambodia at the Salt Lake Stadium on June 8 were sold out within 10 minutes, forcing the AIFF to issue more. Sunil Chhetri had on Friday urged the state government authorities to allow more people than the mere 12,000 tickets allowed for the Asian Cup qualifiers final round matches. While the All India Football Federation has made all the tickets "complimentary", the state government has "allowed just 12,000 tickets" in the 70,000-capacity Salt Lake Stadium to avoid any law and order problem.

Every draw is tricky, will have to be 'respectful and ruthless' against opponents: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu does not want to belittle the lower-ranked opponents in the upcoming final round of the Asian Cup qualifiers and said the hosts have to be "respectful as well as ruthless" when they kick off their campaign on June 8. Clubbed with lower-ranked opponents in Hong Kong (147), Afghanistan (150) and Cambodia (171), world number 106 India are the favourites to make the cut for the 2023 Asian Cup main tournament from group D. "Every draw in modern-day football is a tricky one. We need to be respectful towards our opponents," the 30-year-old Gurpreet told the AIFF website. "Obviously, they have also been preparing for these three matches, and it's understandable that they have done their homework much like us. "We can't take anyone lightly not at this stage because the stakes are high. Even as much as we need to respect the teams we play, we need to be ruthless in our approach."

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Asian Cup Qualifiers: Sunil Chhetri-led India Ready For 171st Ranked Cambodia

I don't look at rankings, have respect for Cambodia: Igor Stimac

Asian Cup Qualifiers: Sunil Chhetri-led India look to dominate 171st-ranked Cambodia

Always want to see India playing at Asian Cup, says 'fan' Sunil Chhetri

AFC Asian Cup qualifiers: Local players Pritam Kotal, Subhasish Bose feel 'VYBK atmosphere will be a big boost'

You make massive difference, please come and support us: Sunil Chhetri to fans

Tickets for India's Asian Cup qualifying round match sold out in 10 minutes, AIFF issues more

Every draw is tricky, will have to be 'respectful and ruthless' against opponents: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu