An inconsistent India drawing inspiration from history and a formidable Syria seeking to correct it will battle for the ball and the trophy as the two teams face off once again in the Nehru Cup final on Monday. The defending champions lost Saturdays last-round match to Syria 1-0. But it isnt much of a worry in the Indian camp as two years ago,they had defeated the same opposition 1-0 after a 3-2 loss in the group stages. Another confidence booster for the hosts is the venue the Ambedkar Stadium has been lucky for India in recent years,with wins in the 2007 Nehru Cup and AFC Challenge Cup here. Crowds cheering Bhaichung Bhutia and Co. has had an impact on the results. In their must-win tie against Sri Lanka in the group stages,NP Pradeep scored the equaliser after the crowd had surprised everybody by increasing the decibel levels. The Indians,inside the field,responded with two more strikes and about half-a-dozen chances. The boys enjoy playing in Delhi, acknowledged coach Bob Haughton. I think weve a chance against any team when we are playing here. I really want to see the crowd get into the act tomorrow. I have always said the closeness of the stands to the field makes it a special venue. It was evident in the match against Sri Lanka, he said. The coach laughed off any queries on weaknesses,even the set-pieces,saying that India would try to get a few rather than conceding one. The entire camp reflected the positive mood with even Samir Naik the only player in the squad of 20 to miss all matches due to an injury sporting a smile. No pressure A few spot kicks for a probable test on Monday was the only novelty that could have been taken seriously. But goalkeeper Subrata Paul pretended to miss everything and then netted one in himself,beating veteran Renedy Singh,to bring out the mood. This will probably be our 25th international match since 2007 and we have lost five and won 15 of them. So,theres no pressure. We have a very different style of playing and I think we can stop the Syrians. They are as good a team as they were last time and we have plans for a few of them, Houghton said. The Syrians had it even easier. Coach Fajer Ibrahim spent most of the time indoors,devising strategies and the whole team became one with the Capitals Sunday crowd at the India Gate. They went there for a walk before practice but skipper Mosab Balhous said it can be a walk in the park on Monday. What happened last year is not in our heads. I think the way we have played this year,we deserve to be the champions. India are a good team but they were better last time. They had fought more eagerly and we hope to have a similar fight tomorrow. Well have a special look on No. 22 (Rahim Nabi),captain (Bhaichung Bhutia) and No. 11 ( Sunil Chhetri), Balhous said. The skippers voice had the confidence his strikers Abdul Fatah Alaga and Mohd Alzino have given the team scoring three goals each in the tournament. Probable starting XI: Bhaichung Bhutia,Sunil Chhetri,Anthony Pereira,Climax Lawrence,NP Pradeep,Steven Dias,Mahesh Gawli,Anwar Ali,Gouramangi Singh,Surkumar Singh,Subrata Paul
