Chhetri’s men face Kenya in final hurdle

Mumbai, June 9 

Sunil Chhetri-led India will face Kenya in the summit showdown of the Intercontinental Cup tomorrow. The tournament is being used by hosts India as a preparatory ground for the AFC Asian Cup to be held in January next year and a win in the final will surely boost their confidence going ahead.

India had blanked Kenya 3-0 in the league game at the Mumbai Football Arena, which was skipper Chhetri’s 100th appearance in the national colours. And the India captain made the game memorable by scoring a brace. The Indian team will look to replicate the performance of their league game against the African side again in the summit clash, which the organisers have claimed to be a ‘sold out’ match.

The hosts are the side to beat this tournament as they have throughout played an aggressive brand of football.

But the Stephen Constantine-coached team cannot take Kenya lightly as they have defeated New Zealand 2-1 and blanked Chinese Taipei 4-0 last night. Constantine will ensure that his best playing XI will take the field tomorrow after his strategy of making seven changes in the game against New Zealand backfired as the team lost 1-2. — PTI