On the back of their consecutive home wins in Indian Super League, Odisha FC will hope to continue the winning momentum when they take on Maziya Sports & RC at Maldives National Football Stadium in Male in an afternoon AFC Cup fixture on Tuesday.
Starting their debut AFC season on a shaky ground with losses to Mohun Bagan Super Giant at home and Basundhara Kings away, the Kalinga Warriors showcased a dominant display of football when they scored half a dozen past Maziya S&RC for a thumping 6-1 win in their last home game.
Odisha delivered a powerful performance, showing their strength in set-pieces and team game. While Ahmed Jahouh played a key role in controlling the midfield and delivering assists for teammates upfront, centre-back Mourtada Fall’s early brace highlighted their all-round attack. Goals from another centre-back Carlos Delgado, wing-back Amey Ranawade and young midfielder Isak Vanlalruatfela stamped their authority over their opponents in the match.
Maziya desperately need a win after reaching the halfway stage with two defeats and one win. They have the same points as Odisha but are rock bottom with a worse goal difference and would try their best to stop the Juggernauts from doing a double over them.
Speaking ahead of the match in Male, Odisha head coach Sergio Lobera said on Monday: “We are excited about this game. We know it will be a difficult game. But in our team, we have good players and we are ready to compete.”
Asked about their tight schedule across tournaments, the Spanish gaffer added: “It’s difficult to manage this because it’s a lot of games in a short time. But I have a squad with 27 players. There are no excuses. It’s not possible to come here and make excuses. We need to adapt as soon as possible. We cannot change this and there are no excuses about this. We are ready to compete.”
