Simao Sabrosa not available for first two NorthEast United games

Cesar Farias with Simao Sabrosa and Sanju Pradhan at ISL Media Day

A little disappointing news for the fans of NorthEast United as marquee player Simao Sabrosa won’t be available for the first two matches of the team. NEUFC play Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi tomorrow while their second match is against FC Pune City on 9th October in Pune.

Speaking at a press conference ahead of their first match, Head Coach Cesar Farias revealed the sour bit of the news. "Simao is suffering from a dead leg and will probably miss the first two games. We are taking precautionary measures but we are confident that he will be back fitter and stronger. We have excellent players who can take his place and help the team deliver."

Coach Cesar Farias at the pre-match conference

He, however, was confident of the fact that his team has enough fire power despite not having Simao to support them in the opening couple of games. Former Fulham and Celtic striker Diomansy Kamara who was also present on the occasion also presented his views as he said, "I am very happy to be here. I am enjoying being a part of this team . We are like a family.

“I am delighted to see the level of quality that the Indian Boys have. Of course, we have a great International bunch with players like Simao. We have a great Coach and we are confident of doing well this year."

Surprised by the quality of Indian boys

The Venezuelan coach also stressed upon the role of Indian players in his team as he said, "The Indian boys in the team have pleasantly surprised me with their quality. They have worked their socks off and will most certainly have a big impact on our campaign in terms of their contribution".

When asked about the local boy Rehenesh TP who will be playing for NEUFC, Cesar poured heaps of praise over the young goalkeeper as he said, "Rehenesh is an excellent goal-keeper who has a great future ahead of him. We are confident in his abilities."

The team however do realize who they are playing against and where and seem confident ahead of their opening encounter. “When we arrived here, we were aware of what awaited us. We have prepared extensively for it. All the players have worked hard and we feel we are well prepared going into the first game", the Venezuelan coach said.

"They are a team that reached the final last year. We will not be complacent. They have a good team, but we are confident with our preparations. We will take it step-by-step. First we want to qualify for the semi-finals and then think about reaching the finals,"he further added.