agencies
KOLKATA, May 10: Team senior India head coach Igor Stimac on arrival in the city has stressed the importance of the preparation for the squad before the upcoming AFC Asian Cup Final Round Qualifiers, next month. " I love to come here personally," said Stimac after the team's arrival in the city. "You can see and hear football everywhere and everyone is excited about any kind of football happening here." India are placed in Group D of the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers, alongside the likes of Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia, with the matches set to take place in Kolkata next month. Stimac was quick to point out that his side were the favourites on paper and have a clear aim of making it to the Asian Cup. "We are the favourites from our group, and we're not hiding from that," expressed Stimac. "We want to go to this group and qualify for the Asian Cup. I see India going to the final stages." "What I am interested in is the final result, that we should qualify. I don't mind how many goals we score, or what the results were, as long as we qualify. Of course, if we score a lot, that will be good, but the main aim is to qualify. "We are following all our opponents and we will find out what the latest changes in their teams are. Right now, we are preparing, but whatever is the case, we need to give everything in the 90 minutes on the pitch," he said. However, the gaffer remains confident in the abilities of the Blue Tigers to make it through from Group D of the Round Three Qualifiers. "We're not under pressure, because we know what to do. Yes, there are certain expectations on our team, but I'm quite confident that we can do it," he said. "We have enough quality in the team to make sure that we qualify." The Blue Tigers have been camping in Bellary, Karnataka since April 23, before shifting base to Kolkata, where they will continue their camp, on May 9. India's 54-year-old coach believes that this extra time in the camp will help his side prepare for the upcoming challenges.
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