India are now a completely different team: Aleksandar Ilic

Aleksandar Ilic mentioned that the King's Cup tie will be an open one.

In the other semi-final clash of the 49th King’s Cup, Lebanon were narrowly eliminated by hosts Thailand in a 2-1 defeat. Lebanon came back from a goal down in the second half before Thailand netted the winner late in the game.

Their defeat to Thailand means that now they will face off against a familiar opposition in India for the bronze medal. The Cedars have played India thrice in three months and tomorrow will be their fourth clash.

Ahead of the game, Lebanon’s head coach Aleksandar Ilić addressed the media and shared his thoughts.

Thoughts on India

The head coach was asked about his thoughts on India. He said that there are no secrets between the teams and it will be an open game. 

“There is a strange competition between the two teams. We have already played a lot of games in the past. These games have shown that between us there are no secrets and it will be one open game. Both teams will try their best to succeed,” he said.

Team News

Sharing an update on his team, the head coach said that since some players are tired there will be some changes in the starting line-up against India.

“We have some stiffness and tiredness after every game. We need to give balance in the next game and that’s why we will make some changes in the team and will start with a different team,” he asserted.

India’s biggest strength

Aleksandar Ilic spoke about India’s biggest strength and said that the Blue Tigers have changed a lot as a team and Lebanon need to be prepared to give their best effort.

“I think the Indian team is looking very strong. They are going up and if you compare the team from the past, it is a completely different team. They also had a fantastic game against Iraq. Of course, they deserve the respect. We also have to prepare ourselves in the best possible way to win the game,” he concluded.