Aizawl FC, the giant-killers of the Federation Cup 2016, go into their first leg semifinal match of the competition against Sporting Clube de Goa at the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Mizoram on Tuesday in confident mood. The North-East side knocked the defending champions Bengaluru FC out of the competition in the previous round.
Coming off a massive win and with this game being played in front of their own fans, Aizawl FC could register yet another favourable result. But, in football, predictions are a dangerous thing to make.
Sporting Clube de Goa defeated Mumbai FC via a better aggregate score over the two legs to enter the semifinals of Federation Cup 2016.
"It is a game and whoever takes their chances will progress into the finals," said Aizawl FC coach Jahar Das in a press release from the AIFF. "We played well against Bengaluru FC in the last match and we will look to give a good account of ourselves against Sporting Goa too."
The positive news for Das is none of their players are injured or suspended ahead of the big game and he will be expected to field the likes of Alfred Jaryan and Joel Sunday up front once again.
For Sporting Goa coach Mateus Costa, it is all about making a good mark in the game before going into the second leg game at home. "We have done well to get here and now want to stay focused on the task at hand," Costa told Goal. The North-Eastern sides play very well at home as we saw in the I-League and our aim is to get something out of the first leg. A win will be a big boost," he added.
In this game too, Sumeet Passi is expected to feature as the lone striker for Costa's side.
Where to watch live
Federation Cup 2016 semifinal first leg: Aizawl FC vs Sporting Goa is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. IST on May 10.
In India and the rest of the subcontinent, the match will be broadcast on Ten 2. Online streaming will also be available on the official I-League website.
The live scores can be found on the official AIFF twitter handle.
