Former Indian Captain Baichung Bhutia in action (Public.Resouce.Org/Flickr)India’s most decorated footballer Baichung Bhutia has said that India has a 50-50 chance of advancing into the second round of the upcoming AFC Asian Cup. The tournament will begin on 5 January in the UAE and will conclude on 2 February, reports Times Now News.
Bhutia was asked about the chances of the Sunil Chettri-led team when he said, "I feel it's a good group to be in -- with Thailand, UAE and Bahrain. I think we have a 50-50 chance of making it to the second round”.
"It will all depend on the hard work the boys put in, and a little bit of luck. I urge the team to give their all and leave no stone unturned. They should enjoy the atmosphere of being part of such a big tournament," he was quoted saying according to All India Football Federation's website.
"I have no regrets, and I'm just happy that we qualified after a long gap of 27 years. It was just bad luck that I couldn't take as much part as I wanted to,” Bhutia said.
He was also asked about the way forward after the Asian Cup to which he said, "Our next target will be the next tournament we play. However, the long-term vision has to be playing at every Asian Cup after this, and not missing out on any of the future editions."
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