ISL: FC Goa’s strongest XI

Pires is the marquee foreigner while Zico is the manager of FC Goa

Sportskeeda continues the series by looking at the strongest eleven on paper of FC Goa, that has the legendary Zico as their manager and Arsenal legend Robert Pires as their marquee foreigner.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

GK: Laxmikant Kattimani – The 25-year-old beat off competition from the more senior Subhashish Roy Chowdhury to become the first-choice at Dempo last season and could start ahead of Czech Republic goalkeeper Jan Seda for FC Goa to maintain the balance of six foreigners and five Indians in the eleven. Kattamani would be looking to get into the national team by doing well in the ISL.

RB: Debabrata Roy – The highly-experienced fullback is capable of playing in either flank but is likely to be used at right back by Zico. Debabrata will face plenty of competition for a starting berth but his consistency in Indian football over the years should see him get the nod and he would be looking to be at his best.

CB: Youness Bengelloun – The French centre-back is still only 31 and should be able to adapt to the Indian conditions having been a much travelled footballer as besides France he has plied his trade in Switzerland, Spain, Greece, Cyprus, and Bulgaria. Bengelloun will relish the fact that his likely central defensive partner will be former PSG B teammate Arnolin.

CB: Gregory Arnolin – Although born in France, Arnolin has represented Martinique at senior international level and was one of two costliest players in the international draft for having made almost 300 league appearances in top-flight football. The 33-year-old would be expected to be the leader of the defence and his experience in Portuguese football should make him enjoy the culture of Goa.

LB: Narayan Das – The youngster didn’t have a great Asian Games like the rest of the India U-23 side but is undoubtedly one of the best left backs in the country and he would be aiming to enhance his reputation during the ISL. Narayan would be eager to show that he has learnt from the mistakes in the Asian Games and have a solid campaign for Goa.

CM: Pronay Halder – The young Bengali lad is already among the best holding midfielders of the country as he is well known to break up opposition attacks and provide adequate protection to the backline. It remains to be seen how quickly he recovers from the injury suffered in the Asian Games but when fit Pronay is likely to start.

CM: Bruno Pinheiro – The Portueguse is capable of playing in central defence also but is likely to be used in midfield by FC Goa. The 27-year-old has the experience of playing for Boavista in the Portuguese top flight and has also had spells in Poland, Cyprus and Israel while last season he was playing in the Greece Super League.

RAM: Edgar Marcelino – A product of the renowned Sporting Lisbon academy, the 30-year-old is a goal-scoring midfielder who usually plays on the right wing. Marcelino’s creativity will be vital for FC Goa going forward and being a much-travelled footballer, including a spell in Oman, should help him adjust to Indian conditions.

CAM: Robert Pires – The Arsenal legend is coming out of retirement as he last played for Aston Villa in 2011. Now 40, Pires can’t be expected to use his pace and score from the flanks and thus is likely to be given a free role behind the main striker. It is a position where he played in the latter part of his Arsenal career and still could make a difference in the ISL.

LAM: Mandar Rao Desai – The 22-year-old winger wasn’t a regular for Dempo in last season’s I-League but caught the attention during the Lusofonia Games as he inspired Goa to the gold medal. He was part of India’s U-23 Asian Games squad and now will be eyeing a slot in the senior national team by being consistent in the Indian Super League.

CF: Miroslav Slepicka – The 32-year-old has been capped two times at international level for Czech Republic and has had two spells at Czech giants Sparta Prague, also playing in the Champions League for them. Slepicka, who also had a stint with Dinamo Zagreb in Croatia, is a complete centre-forward and is expected to be FC Goa’s main goal threat.