Dempo assistant coach Mauricio Afonso mentioned that star midfielder Beto would start against Lebanese outfit Safa in today’s AFC Cup semi-final at the Gachibowli Stadium, Hyderabad.
Roberto Mendes Silva or ‘Beto’, as he is popularly known as, suffered a shoulder injury in a third round I-League encounter against Vasco more than a week back where the Brazilian scored one in his side’s 2-1 victory.
Speaking to Goal.com, Mauricio Afonso said,”Beto has been recovering well and he did practice with the team. I feel we would start with Beto. He should be fine till then.”
The Brazilian player is a vital cog in Dempo’s success and his presence is imperative for the side. The Goan side are already without goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal due to injury and winger Clifford Miranda who is on double booking.
“Nicolau would come in for Clifford and Sathish Kumar for Abhijit. Sathish also played in the first leg.”
Dempo lost the first leg of the semi-finals in Lebanon 1-0 and this puts the pressure on the Indian champions.
“Yes, the pressure is certainly on us. Had it been 0-0 in Lebanon it would have been a different story. But we hope to put on a good show and get the desired result.”
Dempo weren’t allowed to host the quarter-finals game in their home stadium in Goa as it didn’t have floodlights which was one of the essentials mentioned by the AFC. The match against Safa kicks-off at 1600 hrs IST. So, couldn’t the game be played back in Goa instead of Hyderabad?
“AFC had asked us for a venue for the quarterfinals and said that floodlights are important. So, the venue was shifted to Hyderabad. Now, the semi-final is a day game and we could have played in Goa but AFC states that we cannot change the venue. “I am sure that the stadium in Goa would have been full house,” said Afonso.
In their bid to create a homely atmosphere, they have transported fans from Goa in seven buses.
Meanwhile, the Gachibowli stadium is in good condition though it has been raining in Hyderabad for the past several days. Rain is known to play a spoilsport in Hyderabad when they AFC Challenge Cup finals had to be shifted to Delhi owing to unplayable conditions.
“The pitch is ok. It has been raining but the important factor is that no matches have been played on this ground.”
Source:Goal.com
Roberto Mendes Silva or ‘Beto’, as he is popularly known as, suffered a shoulder injury in a third round I-League encounter against Vasco more than a week back where the Brazilian scored one in his side’s 2-1 victory.
Speaking to Goal.com, Mauricio Afonso said,”Beto has been recovering well and he did practice with the team. I feel we would start with Beto. He should be fine till then.”
The Brazilian player is a vital cog in Dempo’s success and his presence is imperative for the side. The Goan side are already without goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal due to injury and winger Clifford Miranda who is on double booking.
“Nicolau would come in for Clifford and Sathish Kumar for Abhijit. Sathish also played in the first leg.”
Dempo lost the first leg of the semi-finals in Lebanon 1-0 and this puts the pressure on the Indian champions.
“Yes, the pressure is certainly on us. Had it been 0-0 in Lebanon it would have been a different story. But we hope to put on a good show and get the desired result.”
Dempo weren’t allowed to host the quarter-finals game in their home stadium in Goa as it didn’t have floodlights which was one of the essentials mentioned by the AFC. The match against Safa kicks-off at 1600 hrs IST. So, couldn’t the game be played back in Goa instead of Hyderabad?
“AFC had asked us for a venue for the quarterfinals and said that floodlights are important. So, the venue was shifted to Hyderabad. Now, the semi-final is a day game and we could have played in Goa but AFC states that we cannot change the venue. “I am sure that the stadium in Goa would have been full house,” said Afonso.
In their bid to create a homely atmosphere, they have transported fans from Goa in seven buses.
Meanwhile, the Gachibowli stadium is in good condition though it has been raining in Hyderabad for the past several days. Rain is known to play a spoilsport in Hyderabad when they AFC Challenge Cup finals had to be shifted to Delhi owing to unplayable conditions.
“The pitch is ok. It has been raining but the important factor is that no matches have been played on this ground.”
Source:Goal.com
