Churchill looking for first win against Sporting

Mapusa (Goa): Defending champions Churchill Brothers will be eyeing their first victory when they take on Sporting Clube de Goa in the Airtel I-League match here at Duler stadium tomorrow.

Struggling with their form, Churchill Brothers are placed second from the bottom with four points from nine matches.

They have brought in three foreigners -- Naser Al Sebai (Syrian defender), Abdel Hamid Shabana (Egyptian midfielder) and Yasser Shahin (Syrian striker), besides appointing a new technical director in Subhash Bhowmick, who saw them lift the title for the second time.

Shahin played against Mohammed Sporting, with whom they drew the match. The other two will make their debut tomorrow and coach Mariano Dias is hopeful that they will change the fortune and guide the team to their first win. "It's going to be a tough match against the in-form Sporting Clube de Goa, who are playing well at the moment. We lacked finishing in most of our earlier matches, which saw too many draws. But the way our team played in their last match against Mohammed Sporting and with the new signing of the foreigners, I have a feeling we stand a good chance to carve our first win," Mariano Dias said.

On the other hand, Sporting Clube de Goa are in fifth place with 15 points from nine matches. But they could manage just two points from their last two outings and thus, would be looking to bounce back. A win tomorrow will ensure that they stay among the top three.

With Dawson Fernandes nursing an injury, Boima Karpeh will be leading the attack. As far as the defence is concerned, Spanish defender Goncalo Neila is expected to carry the bulk of the load.

Ogba Kalu has been steering the attack from the middle and their success tomorrow will also largely depend on how well he steers the attack and creates space for his strikers to score.