Two goalless draws and a 1-2 loss into their maiden AFC Champions League campaign, FC Goa face another litmus test on Friday when they face Iranian heavyweights Persepolis at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao for the second time in four days, on Friday. Persepolis are top of the group with three wins from three games. They can seal a knockout berth if they beat Goa again on Friday and second-placed Al-Wahda of UAE fail to beat Qatari side Al-Rayyan. Only the group-toppers are assured of a spot in the knockout stages, with six of the 10 second-placed teams from the groups making the next round.
A place in the knockouts seemed a bit far-fetched for FC Goa at the start but hopes have soared after their opening two draws. But Friday’s game will be anything but easy. Key midfielder Edu Bedia, who scored early in the loss to Persepolis on Tuesday and picked up a knee injury in the second half, is suspended due to accumulation of yellow cards. The Spanish midfielder has said there is a lot to be proud of from the last game. “Persepolis, along with some of the Japanese teams, are the best in Asia. They play very good football; they are very strong. We lost 2-1 to them and could have gone 2-0 up inside 20 minutes. We can be proud of our performance,” he told the club’s YouTube channel.
In Bedia’s absence, Amarjit Singh or Adil Khan could make the starting line-up. Coach Juan Ferrando will also get the services of 22-year-old midfielder Princeton Rebello, who came on as a substitute on Tuesday after returning from a Covid-induced isolation. It, however, remains to be seen whether Rebello has the match fitness to play a full game. In the previous fixture, forward Ishan Pandita was dropped as Ferrando opted for caution against a powerful Persepolis side. That may be the case again as Goa look to avoid defeat against the group favourites.
In his pre-match press conference, Ferrando, however, insisted that the target for the club will be nothing less than three points. “We have three more games. It’s important to improve; it’s not possible to repeat the same mistakes. Our target is to get the next nine points. We know and respect all the teams–they are very good teams–but that is our target,” he said. Fatigue has played a role in some of the mistakes committed by his side but Ferrando isn’t impressed with Goa’s performance.
“Am I happy? No, because the mentality of this club and our dressing room is to win every game. But we know we are in the Champions League and these are very difficult games. In some points, I am happy because the team has put in good performances. I am happy because sometimes of the timing of the press. (But) the timing of the positional attack has not been good. In this competition, it’s very important to control these details,” he said. “Against Persepolis, we were not successful in our plan. I understand because some of our players were very, very tired, not just physically but also mentally. When you play 200 minutes of high intensity football, normally the players are very tired.”
For Yahya Golmohmmadi’s Persepolis, anything but a win here will be a disappointing result. Despite Mehdi Torabi and Seyed Jalal Hosseini’s first-half goals on Tuesday, the Iranians failed to convert a number of chances during the game. That is something they will hope to change on Friday.