Federation Cup Preview: Churchill Brothers - Sporting Clube de Goa

Who will win the Goan derby in Assam...

26-Dec-2009


Churchill Brothers go into the game needing only a draw to confirm a berth in the semi finals. Sporting came back into the tournament with a 2-0 win against HAL after the opening day defeat at the hands of Mumbai FC. They now need to win against ( possibly by more than a solitary goal if Mumbai win too ) tournament favourites Churchill to stand a chance of reaching the semi-finals.

Favourites..?

Churchill Brothers are a traditional powerhouse and as long as they are around they will most certainly be the favorites. Even though teams like Mahindra United have been very impressive in the opening rounds of the tournaments, one gets the feeling that Churchill have won their first two matches without having to hit top gear.

Their main man, Odafa Okolie hasn’t yet come into his own in the tournament . However they now just need a draw to make it through the tournament and coach Carlos Pareira could be tempted to tweak with his starting eleven and give some rest to the big boys for the upcoming knock out stage.

Second best..

Sporting started the tournament with a loss against Mumbai FC and the result has taken more significance than they would have guessed initially. They now need to not only beat Churchill, but probably by a two goal margin if Mumbai win their game against HAL as well.

Mumbai have the better head-to-head record and hence will go through if the points are tied. However if both Sporting and Mumbai win, then Churchill will go out as Sporting will have a better head-to-head record.

Sporting have to go into the match with guns blazing as sitting back is not an option anymore. The fact that Churchill don’t HAVE to win the match can probably play into Sporting's hands.

Form guide:

Churchill Brothers

Mumbai FC 0-1 Churchill Brothers Churchill Brother 3-0 HAL Churchill Brothers 2-0 Chirag United

Sporting Clube de Goa

HAL 0-2 SC Goa SC Goa 1-2 Mumbai FC Mumbai FC 0-0 SC Goa

Players To Watch

Churchill Brothers - Odafa Okolie

The Churchill hitman has scored two goals already but that does not mean he has been playing at the level he can. The Nigerian has been is in a dormant state of sorts and had still scored twice. His goal scoring record is absolutely phenomenal and the big stage is where he thrives the most. One can almost be sure that he will come to the party when the stakes are high.

Sporting Clube de Goa - Kenji Arai

The Japanese defender has been brought in to tighten up the shaky Sporting defence. He is tall strong defenders capable of scoring through set pieces. If Sporting are to get through to the semis, they will need there newly acquired signing to live up to the hype.

Key Areas:

The Sporting defence is where the most of the match is going to be played. It is hard to see them dominate possession against Churchill but they if their defence can hold onto a clean sheet, the attackers can nick a couple of goals.

Venkatesha Sharma

Source: Goal.com

Added by: Anselm Pio Noronha