*Odafa to debut as Sporting Clube de Goa take on East Bengal*
A new look Sporting Clube de Goa will be hoping to turn the tide when they take on Kingfisher East Bengal in round 12 of the HERO I-League organised by the AIFF at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata on Saturday. The kick off time is 4.30pm and is being screened live on Ten Action. The mood in the Sporting Goa camp has changed since the arrival of the new signings. Nigerian Striker Odafa Oneyka Okoli is expected to make his debut for the Flaming Oranje along with Syrian International midfielder Mahmoud Al Amna. Local players Marcus Mascarenhas, Alber Gonsalves and Glan Martins have also been registered and it will be interesting to see if Coach Mathew D’Costa utilises them. Sporting Goa will be without the services of goalkeeper Ravi Kumar, defender Sandesh Jhingan and striker Sumeet Passi who are away on International duty with the India U-23 team. While Sporting Goa has enjoyed a nice two week break to recover, replenish and restructure, East Bengal have been busy in the AFC Cup. They recently lost to Singapore outfit Balestier Khalsa 1-2 and drew with Hong Kong champions Kitchee 1-1. East Bengal’s biggest threat comes from the I-League’s current top goal scorer Ranti Martins who has netted an awe-inspiring 10 goals from seven games for the Red and Gold. East Bengal is currently 5th in the standings with 12 points from seven outings, while Sporting Goa is currently bottom with 3 points from eight matches. So will Odafa or Ranti prove to be the match winner for their respective side is anybody’s guess? One thing is for sure when you add former Sporting Goa Hero Dudu Omagbemi in to the equation for East Bengal there is certain to be a lot of fireworks and a game really not worth missing. PHOTO: Sporting Clube de Goa players stretch after a practice session. -- CONNECT WITH US: www.sportingclubedegoa.com www.sportingclubedegoa.wordpress.com www.facebook.com/sportingclubedegoa.officialpage www.twitter.com/sportingoa -- CONNECT WITH US: www.sportingclubedegoa.com www.sportingclubedegoa.wordpress.com www.facebook.com/sportingclubedegoa.officialpage www.twitter.com/sportingoa
