I-League: Sporting Clube de Goa lock horns with Shillong Lajong

In a battle for second spot, Sporting Clube de Goa will take on Shillong Lajong FC in a highly anticipated I-League encounter at the Duler ground in Mapusa on Saturday afternoon. The kick off is 3.30 pm.

Sporting Goa is currently in second place with 21 points from twelve games, while Shillong Lajong FC is occupying fourth with 20 points from thirteen matches.

Both teams are in good form and are looking for their third victory in a row. Sporting Goa defeated both Goans rivals Dempo SC and Salgaocar FC 1-0 recently, while Shillong Lajong has overcome Churchill Brothers 1-0 and Salgaocar FC 2-1.

The Goan outfit has a number of players back from injury, although captain Mathew Gonsalves and the tough tackling Pratesh Shirodkar are suspended after picking up four yellow cards each in previous games.

Despite the two key players out, the Sporting Goa Coach Oscar Bruzon is confident his players will be able to succeed against Shillong, “Mathew and Pratesh have become very influential players in our campaign, although their absence against Shillong (Lajong) gives two hardworking players an opportunity to come into the first eleven.”

Oscar may decide to reshuffle the pack and formulate a new formation in order to fully accommodate the qualities of the players coming into the side.

When Sporting Goa met Shillong Lajong at the start of this season, the Flaming Oranje won by a solitary goal scored by midfielder Ogba Kalu Nnanna.