The 2021 AFC Champions League group stage gets underway with Indian Super League (ISL) club FC Goa taking on Qatar’s Al Rayyan at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda, Goa on Wednesday.
FC Goa qualified for the ACL 2021 by winning the league stage of the 2019-20 ISL.
| Game | FC Goa vs Al Rayyan |
| Date | Wednesday, April 14 |
| Time | 10:30 PM IST (GMT +5:30) |
The Star Sports Network have announced that they will telecasting FC Goa’s ACL debut on Star Sports 3
FC Goa squads
FC Goa have registered a 28-man squad for their ACL campaign this year.
All clubs are allowed to have at most four foreign players in their squad including player from an AFC (Asian Football Federation) member association. Australian defender James Donachie fulfils that criteria for the Gaurs.
Forward Igor Angulo and midfielder Alberto Noguera have been left out from the squad that competed in the Indian Super League.
Indian forwared Romeo Fernandes has been included in the FC Goa first team for the first time since 2016.
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
Know the opponents
Al Rayyan are one of the biggest clubs in Qatar and finished third in the 2020-21 season of the country’s top division which is named Qatar Stars League. They finished behind Al Sadd, coached by Xavi Hernandez, and Al Duhail.
The team is coached by former France national team and PSG manager Laurent Blanc. They qualified by finishing the 2019-20 Qatar League as runners up.
Ivorial striker Yohan Boli is Al Rayyan’s top scorer this season with 11 league goals – only four players including former Arsenal man Santi Cazorla has scored more goals in the Qatar top division.
The team is in Group E and will take on Goa, Al Wahda and Persepolis this month in their group stage campaign.
Fixtures
