After securing a goalless draw against Qatari giants Al Rayyan, FC Goa will take on UAE's Al Wahda in their second match of the 2021 AFC Champions League Group E encounter at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Saturday, April 17.
The Juan Ferrando-coached FC Goa, which became the first Indian club to play in an AFC Champions League group stage, put on a dogged display to stun the much-fancied Qatari side and register a historic draw on their ACL debut.
The Gaurs goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh and centre back Ivan Gonzalez were rock solid at the back as they frustrated Laurent Blanc’s side in the opening fixture. Watch Al Wahda vs FC Goa live in India!
Despite Goa's impressive defensive formation and resilience at the back against Al Rayyan, FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando said there are areas his team needs to work on in order to progress in the competition.
“We need to improve in attack and our focus is always on the next game. We cannot think of the Al Rayyan game anymore,” Ferrando said.
“I know the coach and the attacking style of Al Wahda and they are a very dangerous team. We need to control them in many areas of the pitch to stop them and we will also try to keep the ball as much as possible,” he added.
Meanwhile, Al Wahda were defeated 1-0 by Iran’s Persepolis FC in their opening group fixture and Henk ten Cate’s side will look to bounce back against FC Goa on Saturday.
The Emirati club has featured in the AFC Champions League 12 times, with their best performance coming in 2007 when they reached the semifinal.
A win for FC Goa will take them to the top of the points table in Group E while Al Wahda’s victory would take them to second place.
FC Goa squad for AFC Champions League 2021
Goalkeepers: Mohammad Nawaz, Naveen Kumar, Shubham Dhas, Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem
Defenders: Sanson Pereira, Seriton Fernandes, Leander D’Cunha, Iván González (Spain), Mohamed Ali, James Donachie (Australia), Aibanbha Dohling, Saviour Gama, Adil Khan
Midfielders: Edu Bedia (Spain), Glan Martins, Princeton Rebello, Brandon Fernandes, Phrangki Buam, Redeem Tlang, Makan Winkle Chothe, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Amarjit Singh Kiyam, Romeo Fernandes
Forwards: Jorge Ortiz (Spain), Devendra Murgaonkar, Ishan Pandita
Where to watch Al Wahda vs FC Goa live in India?
The Al Wahda vs FC Goa AFC Champions League match will be telecast live at 8:00 PM Indian Standard Time (IST) on Star Sports 3 and Star Sports 3 HD TV channels in India.
Live streaming of Al Wahda vs FC Goa match will be available on Disney+ Hotstar.
Featured photo: Twitter/FC Goa
