Goans seek win, ITI play for pride

Mid-field dynamo Bruno Coutinho, who is relishing his new-found position as a striker, will be the key to Salgaocar’s success. Coutinho willform a vital link in the Salgaocar attack chain comprising Kenyan William Inganga and Nigerian Jude Odegah. Shabbir also has the choice of using the skilled Alvito D’Cunha in the front-line.

In the mid-field, local boy S Venkatesh would love to make an impression. Help from the experienced Savio Medeira and the presence of Nigerian Habib Adekunle should make the job of Venkatesh that much easier.

Hosts ITI are on a different search. As their rivals look for a win, the local challengers would seek to end their home matches with a win which would redeem their much dented pride. Technically, ITI at five points from eight outings, have an outside chance of making it to the next stage, should they win both their remaining matches, including against Salgaocar.

Much would depend, as usual, on the Kyrgyz trio of Aleksey Drobotov, Kiril Keker and Sergey Kaliubin, as the local league champions look for a win that has remained elusive after the solitary goal victory against Indian Bank at the start of the league.The performance of the ITI attack has been highly inconsistent and it would need a much improved show of combination and co-ordination between the foreigners and the `local’ players if the side has to win.