Begin typing your search above and press return to search.

Bangladesh wary of Chhetri threat

By The Assam Tribune

KOLKATA, Oct 12: No stranger to Indian football, Bangladesh assistant coach Stuart Watkiss on Saturday said it�s talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri who will keep his players on their toes in their World Cup qualifier against India here on Tuesday.

Laid low by a virus, Chhetri had to sit out of India�s gritty goal-less draw against Asian champions Qatar in Doha but he is set to return in the Group E match against Bangladesh here.

�Obviously, Sunil is the most dangerous player because of the amount of goals he has scored,� Watkiss said.

�He�s a super player, super player with a super goal-scoring record,� the 53-year-old said on Chhetri who had scored his goal number 72 in India�s 1-3 loss to Oman last month in Guwahati.

Watkiss was in charge of former I-League club Bharat FC in the 2015-16 season and showed Chhetri from close quarters.

�He hasn�t had many weaknesses... Of late, he seems to have gone from strength to strength from my time in India. It will be a challenge for our team (to stop him),� said Watkiss.

�You know, we respect him. We respect all the Indian players, we respect the Indian culture and stuff. But that�s it, we won�t give them too much respect.�

Bangladesh have come here on the back of a 0-2 loss to Qatar in Dhaka in their last match. They had lost 0-1 to Afghanistan in their campaign openers.

�We deserved something out of the game (versus Qatar). We created more chances than Qatar and possibly had the best opportunities,� the former Hull city development coach said.

India�s defence will be depleted with the injury blows to Sandesh Jhingan and Rahul Bheke and the Bangladesh assistant coach saw some hope of his side opening their account.

�Maybe, it�s a little advantage to us that those two central defenders are not playing... But we are still expecting a strong challenge.

�We think we can give India really good and competitive game. The way we performed against Qatar, if we can get to those levels again, then it should be a terrific game,� he said.

Bangladesh will rely on Mamunul Islam and captain Jamal Bhuyan in the midfield with the team having eight Under-23 players.

�Our defensive shape is good. We are good on the counter. There are young players who can spring a surprise. We have been let down by our finishing a bit. We need to work on that,� 30-year-old Mamunul said.

Kolkata Indian Super League franchise ATK had signed Mamunul in 2014 but did not play any match.

Having served Bangladesh for 13 years, Mamunul said he�s contemplating retirement.

�I will talk to the team management and might call it a day when India take on Bangladesh at home,� he said. � PTI

Next Story