Will be difficult for us and Syria: India coach Marquez

India coach Manolo Marquez

India and Syria will go head-to-head in the winner-takes-it-all third and final game of the Intercontinental Cup here on Monday. India, who began the competition with a goalless draw against Mauritius on Tuesday, are eyeing their second consecutive Intercontinental Cup football triumph, and third overall.

Syria beat Mauritius 2-0 on Friday, which means they hold a slight advantage heading into the final game as the Eagles of Qasioun require only a draw to claim the trophy. Syria have a long history of playing tournaments in India, but the title has always evaded them.

Also Read: Randhir Singh becomes first Indian to be elected as OCA prez

The West Asians lost back-to-back Nehru Cup finals to India in 2007 and 2009 before finishing fourth in 2012. In their last trip to India in the 2019 Intercontinental Cup, Syria ended in third place. But for the Blue Tigers to deny them first silverware on Indian soil, they will need to end a winless streak stretching back to November last year.

"It will be a difficult game for both sides. It's a friendly game, but the team who wins the game wins the trophy. We expect to play a good game and win the tournament," said India head coach Manolo Marquez, who celebrated his 56th birthday on Saturday.

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever