A day before AIFF XI (India U-16) take on current Group A Leaders PVF Vietnam in the Asia Champions Trophy 2014 at the Barasat Stadium, head coach Goutam Ghosh insisted his team comprises of a “good bunch of boys.”

“Our philosophy is not to live into the past but we take inspiration from our past performances in the U-16 SAFF Championship and the U-16 AFC Qualifiers. Furthermore, we need to ensure that we improve with every match and not repeat the same mistakes again,” Ghosh said in the pre-match press conference.

His rival counterpart Nguyen Phuc Nguyen Chuong, PVF’s head coach said it’s a “difficult game” for them.

“We are not used to playing on astroturfs. So we need to adjust fast. Acclimatization holds the key for us,” he quipped.

Despite sitting pretty on six points from two matches, Choung downplayed their status as a strong squad. “This is a big Tournament,” he clarified. “We understand AIFF XI, the U-16 National team of India are a good Team,” he maintained. “There’s no doubt that AIFF XI and Frenz United, Malaysia and the AIFF XI are much stronger units than us,” he stated.

Ghosh insisted it will be a “good match.”

“We always respect our opponents whoever it may be.”

“We have addressed the issue of Players suffering from cramps which happened during our last match against Frenz United, Indonesia,” Ghosh informed.

“We may have suffered two losses in our first two matches but that doesn’t mean we are inferior. I have full confidence in my boys and I am confident they will bounce back. It will be an interesting match,” Ghosh quipped.

AIFF XI midfielder Prosenjit Chakraborty, who can also play as a wingback, thanked the Staff for helping the boys “recover fast.”

“Our Coaches have taken immense care to ensure we take in the right amount of fluids,” Chakraborty echoed.

Responding to a question as to whether the boys are finding it tough to adjust to the artificial turf in Barasat, Ghosh stated that have had “quite a few sessions on the artificial turf.”

“We are minutely monitoring the nutritional aspect,” Ghosh maintained.

PVF Player Le Thanh Phong Player said he is “looking forward” to the match.

“This is my first visit to India and we have heard so much about the Country. We are looking forward to the match,” he pronounced.

(Report & Picture courtesy AIFF Media)