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Vasco: An interesting tussle is on the cards as Salgaocar FC square up against Sporting Clube de Goa in the Hero I-League on Sunday. With both teams struggling to get going this season, 3 points for either side could prove priceless.
Salgaocar are placed in 6th in the table, having accumulated 14 points from 12 outings and a win will certainly help the Greens in their pursuit of a top half of the table finish whilst for Sporting, who continue at the bottom on 7 points from 13 matches, a win is an absolute must to try and avoid relegation. The first leg ended 2-0 in favour of Salgaocar FC.
Both teams though have played decent football through the course of the league, but poor finishing has cost them dear, a sentiment echoed by both coaches.
Salgaocar were by far the better team in their last 2 outings played away against Mohun Bagan and Pune FC but did not have the rub of the green and unfortunately returned empty handed.
Coach Derrick Pereira can, however take heart from the fact that his side have put in some strong performances at home, having lost just twice by identical 1-0 margins despite having been the better side on both occasions.
“We have been solid at home this year, but unfortunately not collected enough points on the road to challenge for top honours. We will continue to stick to the basics and the results will hopefully take care of themselves”, elucidated the gaffer.
Ivorian Douhou Pierre and Scottish striker Darryl Duffy combined superbly and were outstanding for the Greens in the last game. They ran circles around the Pune FC defence and even hit the woodwork once each but were unfortunate not to score. The two are certain to be a handful and keep the Sporting defence on their toes.
Sporting, on the other hand, have failed to get off the blocks and continue winless in this year’s edition. Coach Matthew D’Costa was optimistic of his side’s chances on the eve of the game.
“We have been training hard and have played well. In our last few matches we created plenty of chances but failed to score. We have been focussing on our attacking play and I am confident that tomorrow will be the day when our fortunes change”, he remarked.
Salgaocar have the entire squad available for selection for the crucial encounter while Sporting will miss the services of Jovel Martins through suspension. The match is scheduled to kick off at 7 pm and will be telecast live on Ten Action.
