Our objectives are to focus on the progress of new players, says Mauritius coach Guillaume Moullec ahead of Intercontinental Cup 2024

The Indian football team are ready to begin the 2024 Intercontinental Cup campaign when they host Guillaume Moullec’s Mauritius at the Gacchibowli Stadium, Hyderabad on Tuesday (September 3). It’ll mark the Blue Tigers’ first match under new head coach Manolo Marquez, but Mauritius isn’t one to simply back down without a fight.

Moullec hints at a close contest

Mauritius head coach Guillaume Moullec insists that his side will compete strongly in this competition, with an eye for future progress too. Ahead of the game, he stated, “We are trying to prepare our team strongly. This game aims to prepare for the coming matches we have.”

Respect for India’s threat

Guillaume Moullec also voiced his respect for India but insisted that his side will play their own game irrespective of the challenge. He claimed, “We have studied India and they are a really good team. We want to adapt according to how India plays. We have our own game, we are also here to win.”

Position as the underdogs of Intercontinental Cup

Guillaume Moullec accepted that his side are the underdog and realizes their position, but will try to play as positively as possible, stating, “We are the underdogs, that is our strategy too. When we play against teams with a higher rank, we understand our position. So for that, we have a positive strategy for both the Intercontinental Cup matches.”

Mauritius’ objectives

When asked about what is Mauritius’ objective for this match, Guillaume Moullec revealed, “For this tournament, our objectives are mostly to focus on the progress of new players, how they play and how they adapt just to prepare for the next 2006 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. That is our main goal from these games.”

Mauritius’ Jason on upcoming games

Along with the gaffer, Mauritius national team star Jason was also asked about how weather conditions will affect the game and how they’re prepared for this task. He revealed,  “Obviously it’s an exciting challenge as we’ll play a tough opposition. We’ll treat it like a normal game. We have been training for quite some time, we’ll try to do our best and get the win.

“We have had three weeks of preparations. The weather conditions will make it difficult, I think. But we need to adapt according to the weather and do something about it,” Guillaume Moullec concluded.

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