New Delhi: After three consecutive defeats, India has virtually no chance of qualifying for the AFC Asian Cup to be played in South-East Asia next year, but coach Bob Houghton is undeterred and looking forward to the challenges the team faces in the future.
India take on Saudi Arabia in Jeddah on Wednesday and after a 0-3 reversal in Kolkata, the odds are stacked against Houghton's young team, but he prefers to take the game as an opportunity to test his players against the best in Asia.
"It would be a huge challenge for the team. Saudi Arabia rarely lose at home. Even major European teams cannot
guarantee a win there," the Englishman said on the eve of the team's departure to the Saudi port city.
"We will have to play in 40 degree celsius temperatures. The ground would be hard and dry and the stadium is huge."
But Houghton, who took China to the 1998 World Cup finals, sounded undaunted.
"The team has made a lot of improvement recently and we would like to continue the progress and win some matches. We need to create a winning mentality," he said.
Even though India is almost out of the running to make it to the championship to be held in Malaysia, Indonesia,
Cambodia and Vietnam, the coach said it would not stop the team from taking the remaining qualifiers with full
seriousness.
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