With just five months to go for the 2011 Asian Cup in Doha, national football team coach Bob Houghton wants skipper Bhaichung Bhutia to reach peak fitness by November.
Bhutia, still recovering from his recurring thyroid-related problems, is undoubtedly the team's most important member and his partnership with Sunil Chhetri upfront will be crucial to India's chances in Doha.
"The team will be in Dubai in November and we have to ensure that Bhaichung reaches peak fitness by that time," Houghton told reporters here on Tuesday.
Bhutia replaced Mohammad Rafi on the 70th minute and played the remainder of the match during India's 1-2 defeat to Thailand at the Ambedkar Stadium last week, and Houghton has a similar plan for Wednesday’s match against Namibia.
"Bhaichung will come in the later stages of the game tomorrow," the Briton said. India, ranked 138th, lost twice in two weeks to Thailand, would look to recover lost ground by winning against the African side, placed 23 rungs above the hosts on FIFA chart.
Asked about Wednesday’s clash against Namibia, Houghton said, "We don't know their game, they don't know ours, they will play their way and we will play ours."
Though it's his first visit to the country, Namibia coach Tom Saintfiet seemed to know a thing or two about Indian football.
"You have a professional league with good teams like Dempo, Churchill Brothers, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan," said Saintfiet, associated with the team for the past 27 months.
Asked about the Indian team, the Belgian said that one has to be good to qualify for a tournament like Asian Cup, adding that India should not lose heart despite being clubbed with Asia's best sides.
"India are the underdogs and it's good to be grouped with Australia, South Korea as chances of causing an upset are always there," Saintfiet said. Unlike India, who had a two-month training camp in Portugal, Namibia players have not trained together since March.
"Since playing our last official international match in March, we haven't played a single match," Saintfiet, who has brought a team mostly consisting of Namibian league players, said.
"Four players are playing in Europe and there is one in Angola and another in South Africa. Our most famous players — Carl Benjamin — plays in the German league," Saintfiet said.
"Most of our home based players haven't played a single match for the last four months but our biggest fear is that we are not physically ready," Saintfiet added.