i-league goa derby
Sporting Goa [orange kit] will be up against Salgaocar in the first Goan derby of the seasonArvind Tengse/AIFF Media

Salgaocar FC and Sporting Clube de Goa are the only Goan sides participating in the I-League this season, and the battle between these two sides at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Thursday will be one to watch.

Dempo, one of the most decorated sides in the I-League, were a key part in the domestic club football league of India since the inception of the league in 2007. However, the Goan powerhouses suffered a shock relegation in the I-League last season, after becoming the rockbottom side in the table.

Therefore, plenty of pressure is on Sporting Goa and Salgaocar to bring the glory back to Goan football this season.

Neither of the teams, however, are in a good position in the table right now. While Salgaocar remain bottom of the table, after not picking up a single win so far this season, Sporting Clube de Goa are fifth, with two wins from five games.

Former Mohun Bagan striker Odafa Okolie is the main man for for Sporting Goa. The Nigerian striker helped his side come away with a shock 2-1 win over Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in their previous fixture, and Odafa was on target on both occasions for Sporting Goa.

And the Flaming Orange coach Mateus Costa knows the importance of carrying on the momentum. "We had a good match against Bengaluru FC and we are looking forward to carrying the same form into this match." Costa was quoted by Goal, ahead of the game.

"But we are not taking it [the Goan derby] lightly, every match is different and every set of opponent have different tactics. Salgaocar FC is a good side with some fine players, but we have an equally talented side."

Salgaocar, meanwhile, are in trouble at the moment. The Greens parted ways with coach Malky Thomson, after a string of poor results, and former Royal Wahingdoh boss Santosh Kashyap has been roped in as the new head coach of the side.

Salgaocar have managed just one point from five games so far this season, but Kashyap remains positive. "The right attitude is what matters, I have asked the players to keep a positive attitude, the rest will follow," Kashyap said.

Where to watch live

Sporting Goa vs Salgoacar FC is scheduled to kick-off at 7 pm IST (6:30 pm PST, 1:30 pm GMT) on Thursday, 11 February.

In India (and the rest of the Asian subcontinent), viewers can catch the game on Ten Action. Online streaming will be available on tensports.com.

Viewers in Germany, Austria, Russia, Switzerland and Gerogia can catch up with the game online on LAOLA1.

Other countries can follow the I-League live scores on the I-League twitter handle.