Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri (left) and coach Albert Roca speaking on the eve of the AFC Cup final in Doha
Bengaluru FC captain Sunil Chhetri has cautioned his younger team-mates not get overwhelmed by the ‘euphoria’ of the moment when they take on Air Force Club of Iraq in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Cup final here today at Qatar Sports Club.
Chettri’s club, having already written themselves into the record books by making the AFC Cup final, is aiming to script history by becoming the first Indian club to win the continental championship.
"One thing about this team is that everybody - owners to the players to theball-boy - is on the same wavelength. They all want to win. We sometimes might not like each other, but we all want to improve and we all want to win,” said the 32-year-old, who is India’s all-time highest scorer with 51 goals in 91 international appearances.
Bengaluru FC qualified for the final defeating defending champions Johor Darul Ta'zim in the semifinals on 4-2 aggregate last month.
Chhetri scored a brace in the second leg at home becoming their top-scorer with five goals to his name.
"I just want to make them realise that they need to play their normal game. It is easy to get caught up in the euphoria of this moment and as a young player I know that sometimes you don't know whom to go and speak to,” said the senior member of the club.
"So I've been making everybody feel at ease, we've been playing cards and just hanging out. We know it is a massive game, but the result is not in our hands. We just have to understand what our gaffer says and try and execute those plans properly," he added.
Coach Albert Roca carefully-drawn tactics gave Bengaluru the edge in earlier matches and the Spaniard was confident that his team was fully armed and prepared to neutralise the physical challenge Air Force will pose in the final.
"We respect the team in front of us. They are very strong, very physical. They have scored a lot of goals, they have a good striker. I have just told the team to be ready for a battle, said Roca, who earlier worked as assistant coach at Barcelona FC.
Roca’s side do face a formidable test in the form of a side which has the tournament’s leading scorer Hammadi Ahmed, who has netted a stunning 15 goals in 10 appearances for the Baghdad-based side. Ahmed, if fitness permitting, is a certainty to lead the forward line for Air Force Club.
"We must keep control over our emotions. We can't get nervous, because they will then not be able to perform. The aim is to play football. Spain is a country where players are not the biggest in size, but they know exactly what they need to do at all times,” Roca cautioned.
"It's the first final for us, and a strong team against us. For sure, we are really excited about winning the title. It will be very good for Indian football. We're ready for that,” he added.
Basim Qasim coach of Air Force Club will be without the services of midfielder playmaker Bashar Resan and defender Samal Saeed, both who are serving suspensions.
“Our preparations have been good so far,” said Qasim, whose side have begun the Iraqi Premier League with two wins out of two matches, including a recent win over former AFC Cup finalists Arbil at the end of October.
“We won 3-1 in our last domestic league match and we were able to rest some players ahead of the AFC Cup final. We hope and wish that this will help us be crowned AFC Cup champions.
“We have a good idea on Bengaluru’s strengths and weaknesses, in fact we feel we know the Indian club very well. It is important for us to win the AFC Cup so we need make sure we raise all aspects of our game and avoid making any mistakes,” added Qasim.
Bengaluru have never played against a West Asian side before. A win in Qatar will make them richer by $1m while a defeat will fetch them half of the amount.
