India are clearly one of the underdogs of the FIFA women’s U-17 World Cup, beginning on Tuesday, but head coach Thomas Dennerby on Sunday said that the hosts have nothing to lose and are ready for the age-group showpiece event. India begin their campaign against USA at the Kalinga Stadium here on Tuesday and Dennerby said it is time the team shows that it can compete against the best in the world.

“It’s not only about the result now. It’s about the performance to show that Indian girls can play football. But of course, inside the group, we have our own goals, and we are ready to fight for them,” Dennerby said on Sunday. “Against the USA, Brazil or Morocco, we are determined to earn points and score goals. And we’re going to show to the Indian fans that we have a good team,” he added.