Team India start favorites in opening match against Singapore

Head coach Igor Stimac is confident of his side clinching the title as the side is currently on a three-match winning streak. Singapore have gone down in their first game of the tournament to Vietnam in a 4-0 loss, so the side will be keen to pose a comeback against India, but a win is a prerogative for the Blue Tigers.

Igor Stimac’s men will start as the favorites in the game as they play against a lower-ranked (159th) Singapore side and will be expected to display a repeat of their phenomenal AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers performances. “With regards to the momentum that we have after the June AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers (India beat Cambodia, Afghanistan and Hong Kong in back-to-back matches), the optimism is high and the positiveness which currently surrounds the team should only bode well for us,” Stimac said ahead of the match.

All eyes will be on Sunil Chhetri, as the striker would be leading the pack and spearhead the attack for the Blue Tigers. The striker is in spectacular form after his Durand Cup triumph and will be keen to build on it and keep the same momentum going with his national side.

Singapore, however, have Ikhsan Fandi, who is banging goals for his side and has been in good form for his club, who will be a major threat in the box and can give the Indian defenders a handful to deal with.