New Delhi: India captain Sunil Chhetri backed East Bengal to beat Indonesian Champions Semen Padang over two legs in the AFC Cup quarters in September.
"It’s a relatively easy draw for East Bengal. Indian Clubs are usually pitted against West Asian Teams who are very tough to beat. With all due respect to Semen Padang, I feel East Bengal have enough firepower to win against them,” Chhetri said on the sidelines of his eight-day summer coaching camp for kids at the Ambedkar Stadium.
The twice AIFF Player-of-the-Year knows a thing or two about Semen Padang, having played the latter in the Group stages of the AFC Cup for I-League champions Churchill Brothers.
Chhetri, who spent the second half of last season on loan with Churchill, scored the opening goal of their match against Padang in a Group E encounter which ended 2-2.
“We played against them in the Group stages of the Tournament. They are a good side with quality players like Edward Junior Wilson. But I feel the manner East Bengal have been playing in the AFC Cup, Padang may find their going difficult. But one cannot be complacent, especially in the Quarterfinals,” the 28-year-old stated.
Padang, coached by Jafri Sastrak, missed their foreign recruits in that match against the I-League Champions on March 12. But in all likelihood, they will be at full strength when they look to overturn East Bengal whose previous best in the AFC Cup was back in 2004 where they reached the last eight stages under Subhash Bhowmick.
"East Bengal have a lot of quality in their ranks. Under (Trevor James) Morgan they have looked a well oiled machine. The team chemistry has been superb, thus this success. It’s amazing that an Indian club has reached this far in the AFC Cup after a long time."
“I wish East Bengal all the best. I feel very happy to see that an Indian club is doing so well in the international arena. I hope they go all the way, but at this juncture it is advisable to take one match at a time, which I’m sure they will,” said Chhetri.
IANS
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.