Manolo Márquez's India gears up for 2024 Intercontinental Cup journey

Mauritius and Syria are ready to join the competition alongside the Blue Tigers as well.

The fourth edition of the Intercontinental Cup has taken the Blue Tigers to the fourth different location in India; from Mumbai to Ahmedabad to Bhubaneswar, and now Hyderabad. The Indian senior men’s team will return to the Telangana capital for the first time in 16 years as they play host to Mauritius and Syria from September 3rd to 9th at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium.

After a heartbreaking exit in the second round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers in June, it’s time to start from scratch for India under newly-appointed head coach Manolo Márquez. The long-term target is, of course, qualification for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, which is set to begin in March 2025. Márquez has stressed the importance of obtaining good results in the upcoming three FIFA International Match Windows to keep India’s place in Pot 1 ahead of December’s draw. A good outing in the Intercontinental Cup will be key to start the same off.

However, time is of the essence for the Spaniard, who will only have two training sessions ahead of the tournament opener against Mauritius on Tuesday, September 3, at 19:30. He named his 26-member squad last month, comprising some new faces and some returning ones too, as India prepare for life after Sunil Chhetri’s retirement.

Chinglensana Singh Konsham and Yasir Mohammad are back for the first time since last year’s Tri-Nation Series triumph. Defenders Ashish Rai and Roshan Singh Naorem return ahead of the Intercontinental Cup after almost a year-long hiatus, while Kiyan Nassiri Giri, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, and Prabhsukhan Singh Gill will be eyeing their senior India debut.

Márquez will hope for a memorable start to his national team career with silverware in the city where he began his journey in Indian football. Except for the 2019 edition of the Intercontinental Cup where Korea DPR lifted the trophy, India triumphed in the inaugural tournament in 2018 (beating Kenya 2-0 in Mumbai) and last year in Bhubaneswar (beating Lebanon 2-0). Their opponents Syria and Mauritius are no strangers to Indian soil.

Syria last traveled to India for the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, finishing in third place. They also took part in the last three editions of the Nehru Cup in 2007, 2009, and 2012, finishing runners-up to India in the first two. Mauritius journeyed to India for the 2017 Tri-Nation Series, where they lost 1-2 to the hosts and drew 1-1 with Saint Kitts and Nevis to end up in last place.

“We face two different teams and the rankings are not very important. We want to be in Pot 1. That would give us an advantage. We must play competitive games to improve. We all need to work together in the same direction to find the correct group of players and their predisposition will be very good, something I am completely sure about,” said Márquez.

Ranked 179th in the world, Mauritius are currently placed fifth in their six-team FIFA World Cup Qualifiers group in Africa, with four points in as many matches. It includes a couple of impressive results like a 2-1 home win over higher-ranked Eswatini in June and a 0-0 draw versus 90th-ranked Angola last November. However, they crashed out in the first round of the Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers following a 1-3 aggregate loss to Chad in March.

Les Dodos, as they are nicknamed, are led by French coach Guillaume Moullec, who took charge in May this year. Some of their key players include captain and veteran goalkeeper Kevin Jean-Louis, six-foot-seven defender Dylan Collard, who plays for Lusitânia FC in the Portuguese third tier, and former French youth international Lindsay Rose, who plies his trade at Greek top division side Aris FC. Despite their accomplishments, Mauritius are the clear underdogs at this years’ Intercontinental Cup and will look to cause upsets that shock the footballing world.

Syria, on the other hand, are the highest-ranked side in the Intercontinental Cup at 93rd. Like India, they have also changed coaching personnel. Former head coach Héctor Cúper resigned after failing to take Syria into the third round of the FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. A last-minute defeat to Korea DPR and a 0-5 loss to Japan in June ended Syria’s World Cup hopes. Former Spain youth international coach José Lana took charge as recently as on August 22.

The painful memory of the 0-1 defeat to Syria which knocked out India from the AFC Asian Cup in January will still be fresh in the minds of Indian football fans. Omar Khribin’s 76th-minute strike made all the difference on that day in Al Khor.

However, the highly-rated striker is not part of the Intercontinental Cup squad, so, goalscoring responsibilities will rest on the experienced Mahmoud Al-Mawas and the Colombia-born Pablo Sabbag. Mumbai City FC centre-back Thaer Krouma is expected to guard the fort.

Syria have named a fairly younger squad than the one that competed at the Asian Cup, and foreign-based players like Daleho Irandust, Noah Shamoun, and Aiham Ousou will be looking to make their mark.

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