The Goan Network
MARGAO
Football Club of Bardez will be looking to get back into the title race with a win when they take on Salgaocar FC in the Goa Professional League match at Tilak Maidan, Vasco on Wednesday.
After a 4-0 win over Corps of Signals, Bardez have dropped points in their last two matches against Sporting Clube de Goa and Churchill Brothers. They are currently standing in 5th place with 24 points from 13 matches. The Pink Panthers will have to give their best to grab all three points against the Greens.
On the other hand, Salgaocar are in fantastic form and stand second in the league table with 30 points from 13 matches. The Greens will be looking to extend their current 5-match winning streak and go on top of the table with a win. They recently edged out Corps in their last match.
Both the teams have lost only once in the league and Bardez’s defeat came against Salgaocar in the first encounter of the GPL where the Greens managed to beat Bardez by a 2-0 margin, while Salgaocar lost against Dempo SC.
Bardez head coach Armando Colaco is most likely to field the same XI which earned him a point against Churchill Brothers in their last match. However, the inclusion of defender Rowilson Rodrigues can be expected. Right-back Lenston Afonso will be out with an Injury.
“We are really playing well but somehow the execution of converting chances into goals isn’t happening. I think Salgaocar FC is the toughest team in the Goa Pro League. The only match we lost was with them, I hope my boys play well and we get something out of the game,” Armando said before the final practice session of the team.
Bardez will be relying on Nigerian forward Joel Sunday as his compatriot Koko Sakibo has failed to impress the coach from the bench. Sunday will have to play a key role if they are to trounce high-flying Salgoacar.
“Tomorrow's match is very important for the team if we want to keep our title hopes alive. In the previous match, we had a lot of possession but the supply and the finishing touch wasn’t good enough. We are going into tomorrow’s match with confidence and I am sure that we are going to win.” Sunday said.
Wednesday will also witness another match at Ambelim grounds with Sporting Clube de Goa travelling down South to take on their cross town rivals Churchill Bros. Sporting currently rooted at third on the table with 29 points from 13 matches, they trail the top spot by 2 points but have a match in hand. While Churchill Bros are placed 8th with 12 points from 14 matches. In the previous encounter among the two, Flaming Oranje had trounced the Red Machines 4-0.
Speaking to media ahead of the upcoming match, Sporting Gaffer Mateus Costa said: “We are playing after a long break; this is really important match for us. As we move closer the league is getting competitive, there is barely any difference between the top 4 teams hence it’s important for us not to lose a single point.”
Speaking about the title aspirations, Costa mentioned: “Yes! It’s important to have clarity at this point of time and clearly our aim is to retain the title, that’s what we are focused on.”
Speaking about the draw against Bardez in the previous match, gaffer Costa said: “A draw is as good as a loss for us, like I mentioned earlier it’s very important for us to take home every point here onwards. Every match we play we try to win there is no other result in our mind.”
Sporting is set to miss some of their key players in the middle due to injuries but with Ponif Vaz returning to man the defence, the team seems to have surely gained some boost.
