Mumbai: Indian football team is going to face fierce Puerto Rico at the Andheri Sports Complex Stadium in Mumbai on September 3, says Indian goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, adding that he and his teammates are ready for the battle.

“It’s going to be a match between World No. 114 Puerto Rico vs World No. 152 India and therefore it would be challenging but the teammates are up for the challenge,” he said, while talking to media in Mumbai.

The man behind the team’s zeal is apparently Sandhu who became the first ever Indian to feature in a Europe League match, lately after he became the first to play in a top - flight European league match. He is also the first Indian to play in the UEFA European League. He plays as a goalkeeper for Norwegian Tippeligaen Club Starbaek, which he believes, has helped him become better than what he was before.

He shared with the reporters at Mumbai’s sports complex on Wednesday that he had to make himself capable to play at that level and he was not at that level earlier. He feels good that India have a player playing overseas, also that if it was not for him, he would have been equally happy for some other Indian player playing outside India.

The Mohali-born youngster also feels that the current U-17 players were better than what he and his teammates were at that age. “Their mentality of being able to play on a higher level is good,” he said.

He, who’s having a long term vision, is now looking forward to move to even better clubs in Europe as his contract with the Scandavian Club is scheduled to expire next year. He wants to go on a higher level with better clubs in better leagues now as he is convinced that he has grown in all aspects of playing football and playing overseas would be the only way to progress.

The 24-year old Stabaek goalkeeper has replaced Subrata Pal, who recently bagged Arjuna Award, as India’s first choice goalkeeper. Pal has been Sandhu’s idol but Sandhu’s assiduous efforts have now placed him on an unsurpassed spot in front of the Indian team.