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| AFC Challenge Cup |
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| Houghton: Break will benefit us |
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| India coach Bob Houghton (left) believes that they delay in the AFC Challenge Cup final has helped his players recover. |
NEW DELHI – India coach Bob Houghton believes the short break and a change in venue will work in his team's favour when they take on Tajikistan in the final of the AFC Challenge Cup on Wednesday.
The showpiece clash was originally scheduled to be played on August 10 at the Gachibowli Stadium in Hyderabad but torrential rain had rendered the pitch unplayable.
The Asian Football Confederation, after a quick inspection of the facilities, decided to move the final to the Ambedkar Stadium in the capital and Houghton underlined the unexpected switch means his squad have been able to recuperate from what has been a gruelling tournament.
"The delay has allowed us to get some of the boys who had small injuries to get back on their feet – Steven Dias, Climax Lawrence and NP Pradeep,” he said.
"To some extent the others, especially Baichung (Bhutia), have benefited from this rest. Meanwhile, Tajikistan too have had a player suspended, so its all been going well for us.
"But this is all secondary. The whole thing rests on how well we play on Wednesday."
Ambedkar Stadium is a venue that evokes pleasant memories for the Indians as last August, Houghton guided his side to Nehru Cup glory thanks to a 1-0 triumph over favourites Syria in the final in front of a packed house.
Victory in Wednesday’s game would be of even greater significance as it would come with a place in the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar.
"This is an extremely important game for us as we would not have a better chance to qualify for the Asian Cup finals," Houghton added.
"If we win, it would be the culmination of a very good summer. It's a nice place for us because of the memories of last summer. If we do have as much support as we did in the Nehru Cup, it would be excellent for us."
Tajikistan boss Pulod Kodirov will be without livewire Tukhtasunov Davrondzhon, who was suspended for two matches on account of his involvement in the on-pitch fracas following their semi-final win over DPR Korea.
The Central Asian nation won the inaugural edition of the tournament in 2006 but Kodirov knows they face a difficult task to retain their title this time around.
"Last time, we played Sri Lanka in the final. They were not the host country but India are so it will be a great advantage for them," he said.
Kodirov also insisted the change of venue makes little difference to his side.
"It doesn’t matter if we play in Hyderabad or in Delhi. It's raining all over the country, so the conditions are going be the same everywhere," he added.
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