I'll put my money on Germany, says Indian skipper Chhetri

Kolkata, May 9: The countdown for 2018 FIFA World Cup is nearing and Indian captain Sunil Chhetri has backed defending champions Germany to go the distance.

While Chhetri will watch the upcoming quadrennial extravagnza as a neutral supporter, he has strong belief in Germany’s ability to defend the title, which they won four years back, defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final.

During a chat with India Today, Chhetri was asked about his favourite team in Russia 2018. In reply, Chhetri said, "I'm a neutral. I like watching good football. I love watching Germany as a team, the way they play together. I like Brazil, they're very exciting. I like Spain, they keep the ball very well. So there're so many different teams, I like different attributes of and love watching them.

"I don't think I've got a clear favourite but if you're going to ask me who is going to be one of the best teams to put your money on, I think it's going to be Germany. They've done really well in big tournaments, I don't see them not doing well this tournament also.”

The FIFA World Cup is being held in Russia for the first time. The 21st edition of the global showpiece will kick off on June 14 and Germany, who are drawn in Group F, will begin their campaign on June 17 against Mexico.

In the Indian domestic season which concluded recently, Bengaluru FC (BFC) performed very well under Chhetri’s leadership. They won the inaugural Super Cup and also finished as runners-up in their debut season in the Indian Super League (ISL).

Despite dominating the ISL , BFC failed to deliver when it mattered most as they went down 2-3 to Chennaiyin FC in the final at home at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.

Chhetri admitted he was crestfallen with the defeat in the final, "We knew the format, so I don't want to be a cry baby right now, but dominate the league stage like that and loose the final -- because of two corners, which was our mistake. It still hurts.

Even winning the Super Cup has not made up for the ISL final defeat. "After winning the Super Cup we were all happy, but just after half an hour, we all sat down and thought what did we miss. How did we not mark those two corners properly (in the ISL final)? Those two corners still haunt us, all of us.”

Presently, BFC is fighting to qualify for the knockout stage of the 2018 AFC Cup.

Indian team's next big assignment is the four nation Intercontinental Cup in Mumbai, starting from June 1. Apart from the hosts, New Zealand, Chinese Taipei and Kenya are the other teams in the fray. Before the important tournament, the Indian captain is enjoying the little break.