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Dempo Sports Club coach Armando Colaco admits he is “extra cautious” ahead of his team’s clash against Sporting Clube de Goa in a second round I-League clash at Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Friday (October 12).
Despite being far away from their best, Dempo won the opening match 2-1 against Churchill Brothers. But it is Sporting Clube’s superlative performance against East Bengal that has given the defending champions the jitters.
“I was amazed the way Sporting Clube played against East Bengal and that too without any foreign players. They have a lot of spunk are filled with energy and will come hard at us. We have to be extra cautious against them.” said the former India coach.
The Dempo coach also asked his team not to be complacent against a team that is high on confidence. “My players should not take this match lightly. Sporting are a dangerous team and against East Bengal, they demonstrated they can match anyone even if they do not have any foreign player on the field,” Armando added. It is unlikely that the Dempo coach will make any significant change to the team that started on a winning note against Churchill Brothers.
Sporting Clube de Goa, on the other hand, are bristling with confidence after snatching a point against East Bengal. “We were worried in the opening match but now that the boys have proved themselves, they will feel much more relieved and confident. I am sure we can perform in the same manner against Dempo,” said Technical Director Alex Alvares.
Sporting fielded an all Indian side in the opening match and for the second consecutive match the trend could continue. “We do not feel the need to make any changes. These boys are capable of upsetting the odds,” said Alvares.
The kick-off is at 7pm and the match will be telecast live on ten Action Plus.
