The Indian national football team's King's Cup campaign begins on June 5 when the Blue Tigers face off against Curacao in the opening match of the prestigious four-nation tournament. The tie, however, will have an added significance considering it will be newly-appointed head coach Igor Stimac's first official match in charge of the Indian team.

With millions of Indian football fans bound to keep a close eye on the proceedings at the Chang Arena in Buriram on the matchday, here's a brief preview of what to expect from the match, which is set to herald in a new era for Indian football.

India

Stimac's arrival to India has often been touted as the next big step for Indian football - one much-needed to further the development of the sport in the country. Having coached the Croatian national team, the 51-year-old boasts an impressive CV and is expected to build on the legacy left behind by former steward Stephen Constantine. The transition, however, is slated to be far from an easy one for the Croat with a number of challenges facing him.

The new gaffer’s first order of business will be to find a centre back to partner Sandesh Jhingan. With Jhingan's long term partner Anas Edathodika announcing his international retirement post the AFC Asian Cup 2019, the void at the heart of the Blue Tigers' defence will be damning and Stimac will need to move fast to find an able replacement. Moving Subhasish Bose to the position from his accustomed left-back position will be the obvious choice but questions remain if the Mumbai City FC man has the physical stature to make the position his own on the international stage. The vacancy may also serve as an opportunity for Rahul Bheke to step up on the international stage, like so many Indian football fans want him to. The Bengaluru FC man was used in a more central position by his club head coach Carles Cuadrat in the latter stages of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2018-19 season, including the final, and the Mumbai-born defender gave a good account of himself patrolling the heart of the Blues’ defence alongside Juanan. Stimac may also be tempted to convert defensive midfielders Adil Khan or Pronay Halder into central defenders, with the former being the more ideal candidate for the job.

Stimac's final 23-man squad for the King's Cup accommodates just four specialist defenders - Pritam Kotal, Rahul Bheke, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose - which more or less confirms that either Adil or Pronay will have a role to play in the defence. Another way Stimac may approach the problem is to play either or both of Jackichand Singh and Brandon Fernandes as full backs to give himself more defensive options.

The inclusion of Bheke, Brandon, Raynier Fernandes, Sahal Abdul Samad and Michael Soosairaj in Stimac's final squad represents a breath of fresh air for Indian football fans, who have been calling for their involvement in the national setup for almost a year now.

Stimac is known for his pragmatic style and has traditionally preferred a more cautious approach in matches, favouring quick counter attacks and well-worked set pieces to get the goals. The Croat is particularly skilled at devising set piece routines, which may see dead ball specialists like Anirudh Thapa and Brandon Fernandes play a crucial role in India’s fortunes during the tournament.

With Jeje Lalpekhlua out with an injury, the talismanic Sunil Chhetri, who is on track to become India’s most capped player, may be used more centrally up front with Udanta Singh and one of Brandon, Soosai, Balwant Singh or Jacki flanking him.

Curacao

Having joined the FIFA members list only in 2011, Curacao may be considered the new kids on the block but are in no way pushovers. In fact, they are the best-ranked team in the tournament, currently occupying the 82nd position in FIFA Rankings. In comparison, India are in the 101st position. The other two teams in the tournament, Thailand and Vietnam, are currently placed at 114th and 98th positions in the rankings respectively.

As any ardent football fan would know, rankings seldom represent the whole picture but Curacao have put in the performances to back up the number. Under current head coach Remko Bicentini, Curacao have won nine, drawn two and lost just five matches. The island nation also won the Caribbean Cup back in 2017 during Bicentini's reign. The Dutch-Curacaoan manager was appointed as the assistant coach for the Curacao national team back in 2011 before finally being appointed as the top man in 2016. He replaced Dutch and Barcelona legend Patrick Kluivert, who served the post for a year.

Contrary to Stimac's pragmatic philosophy, Bicentini prefers a more all-out approach, which prioritizes outscoring opponents. Under him, Curacao may have kept just five clean sheets in 16 outings, but have also scored a staggering 38 goals.

Having been a part of the Netherland Antilles for 56 long years, Curacao's football has the traditional Dutch influence associated with it and the current national team boasts a host of technically gifted players, who represented the Netherlands national team at U17, U19 and U21 levels.

People following the English Premier League will be familiar with names like Leandro Bacuna and Cuco Martina, who are part of Curacao's final squad. Bacuna made 10 appearances for Cardiff City last season and is a mainstay in the centre of the park for Curacao. Right back Martina, who currently plays for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie, comes with almost five years of experience in English football, playing for top tier teams like Everton, Southampton and Stoke City. Martina is also the captain of the team. Veteran goalkeeper Eloy Room, who won the 2017-18 Eredivisie with PSV Eindhoven will be another player to look out for in the Curacao setup. With the CONCACAF Gold Cup scheduled for later this month, Curacao will be using the King’s Cup as a final testing ground and are certain to go into their fixtures all guns blazing.

One notable absentee from the Curacao side will be striker Rangelo Janga. The 27-year-old is a prolific scorer for the national team, having netted 10 times in 14 matches but will be unavailable for the King's Cup. The forward was held back for club duties with his current team FC Astana engaged in a gruelling title race against FC Tobol in the Kazakhstan Premier League.

What to expect

The Curacao challenge, beyond the shadow of a doubt, represents baptism by fire for Igor Stimac. With barely a month in charge of the Indian national team, facing off against the likes of Bicentini, who knows his team inside out by the virtue of having been part of the Curacao national team setup for eight long years, will be a Herculean task by itself. Taking on Curacao at their own attack-oriented game may prove to be a fool's errand for India. But the towering challenge also provides Stimac with the perfect platform to showcase his organizational skills and tactical acumen.

The young Indian team will do well not to worry too much about their opponents and rather focus on implementing the philosophy Stimac tried to instil in them over the last few weeks. Multiple players like Jhingan, Pronay, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, Chhetri have already come out to praise Stimac’s style of play and the Blue Tigers seem to be ready to make a positive mark in Thailand.

Catch the match live on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar at 2:00 PM.