GOA: Sporting Clube de Goa will host Hero I-League leaders, Mohun Bagan at Fatorda Stadium in the second Hero I-League clash in Goa. Sporting heads into the game on the back of a 2-2 draw against Mumbai FC, at the Cooperage Stadium in Mumbai, last Saturday.
In their last encounter, Mahmoud Al-Amna put the Flaming Oranje ahead in the 8th minute but Mumbai FC came back into the game by scoring once in the first half and once early in the second, but Victorino Fernandes came off the bench to rescue a point against Khalid Jamil’s men.
The Flaming Oranje sits pretty at the fourth position on the table, with 12 points out of nine games played. They have conceded 11 goals and scored as many goals so far.
What has worked well for Mateus Costa, is how the experienced lot in the side have taken the responsibility in their key games and churned out the results whenever they have needed.
Speaking of the title challengers, defending champions Mohun Bagan are in an incredible form right before the all-important game against them who are led by none other than an ex-Mariner Odafa Okolie.
Bagan heads into the game on the back of a 3-1 mauling of Salgaocar FC, three days ago, where they prevailed over the Goan outfit in every department.
Moving on to Tuesday's clash, the Mariners have the opportunity to increase their stronghold at the top of the table by gaining a six-point advantage over Bengaluru FC, however, it won't be an easy task by any means. Sanjoy Sen, who attended the pre-match press conference after coming back from his illness, pointed out the new signing by Sporting might be the crucial factor today, "They have signed a couple of new players like Mehrajuddin (Wadoo) in defence, Denson (Devadas) in midfield, Mahmoud didn’t play the against us at Barasat and Odafa (Okolie) is always there to crack your defence. We have to be very cautious, especially after their results against Mumbai FC in their last two matches."
The Flaming Oranje have got the right balance between experience and youth and they shaped up pretty well. Odafa Okolie, on his day, can turn matches on its head and can inflict heavy damage on Bagan’s defence that has looked frail on certain occasions. Matues Costa's team won't leave any stone unturned to stage an upset today to stay alive in the title hunt, "If we want to stay in the quest for the title, three points are very crucial but Mohun Bagan are playing like a complete team, they are almost playing a flawless football. 100 percent won’t be enough for today’s match. We have to give 200 percent today to get those points."
The Fatorda Stadium will bear witness to two sides who love playing expansive football and undoubtedly it's poised to be a cracker of a game. The match kicks off at 07:05 PM and it'll be telecast live on Ten Action.
