In the 40th league match of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021, when FC Goa and Odisha FC team will compete at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama on Friday, all eyes will be on the Goa team, which has made a comeback in the last few matches. The road to victory has been achieved. FC Goa’s Spanish coach Juan Fernando has been released in the middle of the football tournament, after which the football club has again turned to coach Derrick Pereira.
Pereira, a seasoned strategist in Indian football, will not be seen near the touchline on Friday as he will undergo mandatory quarantine before entering the team’s bio bubble. Hence, Miranda, a former India international midfielder, will see his assignment tentatively.
Pereira said, “It was a shocking call for me to take over the charge of FC Goa, whose aim is to always be on top. I am not with the players at the moment but in touch with them. I have seen the boys working hard. We We need to continue what we are doing and I am sure we will start getting results.”
Goa are eighth in the table with seven points from six matches. It hasn’t lost in the last three matches. Goa’s performance is a complete turnaround after three consecutive losses at the start of the season. Goa had played a 1-1 draw with Hyderabad FC in their last match. But this team has improved in the last three matches and has shown fighting ability.
Odisha, led by coach Kiko Ramirez, have lost their last two matches and slipped to seventh place in the table. Odisha has scored 12 goals in six matches of this Hero ISL season i.e. two goals per match. Spanish coach Kiko’s concern is the team’s defense, which is continuously scoring goals. “Our main priority as a coaching unit is not to score goals in any match. We need to work hard and apply our strategies in the match,” he added.