Soumo Ghosh
AIFF Media Team

HYDERABAD: Now begins the Manolo Márquez era in the Indian national team. In the very same city where he began his journey in Indian football almost five years ago.

As India take on Mauritius in the Intercontinental Cup opener at the GMC Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Tuesday, September 3, 2024, it will be the start of a new chapter for the team. One which hopes to reset the ache of the past and get the Blue Tigers back on the prowl for bigger things.

The match will kick off at 19:30 IST and will be broadcast/streamed on Sports 18 3 and JioCinema. The tickets for the Intercontinental Cup can be purchased here.

"I am very excited. It's special to play the first game here in Hyderabad. It feels like a new stadium now with the new facilities here," said Márquez at the pre-match press conference on Monday. Defender Roshan Singh Naorem accompanied the coach at the press conference.

The Blue Tigers held their first training session on a rainy Sunday evening at the Hyderabad FC training ground. They will have one more session together on Monday before lacing up their boots for the Mauritius clash. However, for Márquez, there's nothing to complain about.

"We'll have only two training sessions before the first game. But I feel that when there's a new coach and new staff, the predisposition is good. It's about the attitude of the players and I'm convinced that will be very good. These are the fixtures and we can't control them. It's not about excuses. We can't waste time with them. We trained yesterday, we'll train today, and we'll be ready for tomorrow," said the Spaniard.

Márquez felt that he will be able to better judge the quality of his squad when the season is up and running. The Intercontinental Cup provides a great dress rehearsal for the bigger task awaiting India in the coming year, the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers. For now, playing a good brand of football and preparing for the future has more importance than results.

"The main target of playing these games in September, October and November is to prepare for the more important thing - the Asian Cup qualifiers, the first game of which is in March.

"The first FIFA window now is a little tricky because we are still in pre-season. Some clubs played with their reserve team in the Durand Cup. We don't exactly know the physical situation of all the players. That won't happen in the next FIFA windows because the ISL will be ongoing. But again, I think this is not an excuse. We are ready for tomorrow.

"With two training sessions, it's true that it's difficult to change a lot of things. We have players from seven to eight different teams. It's difficult because every team plays a different style. But finally, we will enter the pitch with 11 players and we will try to play a good game. Whatever result we get, it won't be the real situation of the national team," said Márquez.

India's opponents Mauritius are also in a similar situation, using the Intercontinental Cup as preparation for their competitive matches ahead. In their ongoing FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, they have picked up four points in as many matches, including a win over higher-ranked Eswatini in their previous outing in June. Before the qualifying games resume in March next year, Mauritius look to make the most of their preparatory match windows.

Head coach Guillaume Moullec said, "We are really happy to be here. We're still in a preparation phase for official matches. And the important thing for us is to find stability and to start being more efficient. The aim of these games is to look for a team that is very steady."

The French coach took charge of Les Dodos in May and affirmed that his team will continue with a similar approach as they've been doing in the last couple of months.

"I arrived in May and I've only played two matches with the national team. I won't change my approach, regarding the India match. Because right now, we are in a phase of progress, construction, and the first objective is to focus on our own team. Even if India change their way of playing, it will not be our primary goal to adapt to the opponent, but rather to be more efficient on our side," said Moullec.

After Tuesday's match, Mauritius will face the third participants of the tournament, Syria on September 6. India will then face Syria on September 9 in the last match. The team with the most points after all three matches will be crowned champions of the Intercontinental Cup 2024.