Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Vientiane: Coach Valakone Phomphakdy insists Laos can defeat India in Thursday’s first leg of their 2019 AFC Asian Cup play-off as the sides face off for a place in the third qualifying round.
Laos were left propping up Group G in the previous round of qualifying, which was coupled with the 2018 FIFA World Cup, but did pick up a credible 2-2 home draw with higher-ranked regional rivals Myanmar.
And with India having suffered four away defeats in a row during a second round of qualifying in which they finished bottom of Group D, Phomphakdy will be looking to make home advantage count at Vientiane’s National Stadium ahead of the return fixture in Guwahati next week.
“We have to admit that India is one of the strongest teams in these play-offs,” said Phomphakdy. “But the players are both mentally and physically ready.
“We can win this game, but we have to be very disciplined and hard-working, then the positive result will follow.”
Laos go into the encounter on the back of a 1-1 friendly draw with Nepal on Sunday and will look to stretch their unbeaten home run to two games in order to give them a fighting chance of advancing to the third qualifying round.
“I was quite happy with the overall performance although we need to emphasise specific tactics,” added Phomphakdy, who confirmed captain Khampheng Sayavutthi would be fit for the game after picking up a knock at the weekend.
Click here for an overview of the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019 Qualifiers Play-off Round
India, meanwhile, recorded just one win at home to Guam in their second round of qualifying as Iran, Oman, Turkmenistan and Guam all finished comfortably above them.
The 1964 AFC Asian Cup runners-up have enjoyed recent success, though, as India won the SAFF Suzuki Cup for a seventh time at the beginning of the year.
And India will be hoping their greater experience can help ensure an improved performance on the road as they seek a place in the next round that would, in turn, mean they avoid another series of play-offs later in the year.
“We expect to have a positive result before going back to India for the second leg,” said coach Stephen Constantine. “We’ll play hard and try to win the game.
“Our preparation has been difficult as several players are injured and there are three or four players that are unlikely to play. It will be the first national career game for some of the players.
“People always talk about FIFA rankings in international games; however, when one team plays at home, the other should not underestimate them – even if their ranking is higher.”