Federation Cup 2014: Sporting Clube de Goa aim to start with a bang

In a mouth-watering opening encounter, Sporting Clube de Goa will lock horns with I-League leaders Bengaluru FC in a Group B match of the 35th Federation Cup at the MDS Complex, Manjeri in Kerala, on Wednesday afternoon. The kickoff is at 5pm.

When the two teams met for the first time this season in the I-League, the match ended in a goalless stalemate with neither team giving the other any real room to maneuver.

Despite both camps playing down the hype of this game it has not stopped the fans from getting overly excited, after all it is the current top two teams in the I-League doing battle. Bengaluru FC is leading the table with 30 points from 15 matches, while Sporting Goa are second with 27 points, but are enjoying a game in hand over their rivals.

The league ladder will be the furthest thing from the minds of the two Coaches right now and both will be more interested in getting their Fed Cup campaigns off on the right note. The Goan outfit arrived in Kerala on Monday and settled into the beautiful surroundings immediately.

“There is a great mood in the camp right now with a lot of banter, although come game time my men will be fully focused on the task ahead as they know what is expected of them,” stated Sporting Goa Coach Oscar Bruzon.

Sporting Goa will also have to play East Bengal Club on January 18 and Rangdajied United FC on January 21 in what has been termed as the group of death.

The Flaming Oranje has had to leave behind strikers Dawson Fernandes and Mauvin Borges who are both suffering with knee problems.

“Dawson and Mauvin are both important members of the team, but we also have a lot of offensive players in midfield which will make up for their absence,” signed off Oscar.