India’s national football coach Igor Stimac said injuries to key players like Ashique Kuruniyan and Jeakson Singh have made the task tougher ahead of the Fifa World Cup Qualifiers, but remained optimistic about their chances.

India are slated to play Kuwait in their den in a 2026 World Cup and AFC 2027 Asian Cup Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 2 next week. India are also playing in the upcoming Asian Cup in January next year.

“We have entered the new phase of our work, and we know it’s going to be very hard and difficult on the boys.

“We know that the next few months until March will be very difficult,” Stimac told the All India Football Federation (AIFF) website.

“We are very optimistic that once the players, who are missing now, are back, we will become solid again and show strength on the pitch, no matter who we play against.

“So, the focus at this moment is how to replace those boys who were the starting 11 players, such as Kuruniyan, Anwar Ali and Jeakson (currently nursing injuries).

“They were our strength in the latest successes we had. These boys played very good football. They were adding extra value to the whole team,” he added.

India have emerged 3-2 victorious against Kuwait on their home turf only once in a friendly match in 2004.

Asked if the group, which includes Kuwait, is tough, he said: “The group is tough at the moment, but we need to approach it game by game and prepare for it. As far as I’m concerned and with my experience in football, November to March will be difficult.

“To prepare well and to make sure that the national team gets enough time to secure the second spot in the group and qualify — that is our plan.”