Dubai, September 14, 2015: Leonardo da Silva Moura, a.k.a. Leo Moura, believes that the pre-season friendlies against the Arabian giants in Dubai will help in giving FC Goa a good start in the season 2 of the Indian Super League (ISL).
“The trainings are turning out to be very good for our team. Preparing at this time is important for our debut in the league (ISL),” Moura said.
The Goan franchise of the ISL played the first of their five friendlies against Al Khaleej in Dubai on Friday, which resulted in a 2-2 draw with Jofre Mateu Gonzalez and Reinaldo da Cruz Oliveira finding the back of the net for FC Goa.
The Gaurs are set to take on Al Shabab FC next on 15 September 2015, at the Al Shabab Stadium near Century Mall in Dubai.
Tuesday’s clash against the former Saudi Arabia Premier League (SPL) champions, as the rest of the matches against Ajmal FC, Al Jazeera Club and Hatta Club at the respective clubs’ grounds on 16, 19, and 20 September respectively, will kick off at 7 pm local time.
Fans may follow the live updates of the friendly matches in Dubai on FC Goa’s official twitter handle (@fcgoaofficial) while those in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) can witness the stars with their own eyes.
“These games here in Dubai will help us to condition for the start of the season. For me, it has been wonderful. It will help me get better for the ISL,” added the Brazilian defender who started in Friday’s tie.
The other players to have started against Al Khaleej were Elinton Andrade, Nicolau Colaco, Gregory Arnolin, Lucio, Debabrata Roy, Jofre, Joaquim Abranches, Bikramjit Singh, Thongkhosiem Haokip and Reinaldo.
In first fixtures in ISL 2, FC Goa will be up against Roberto Carlos’ Delhi Dynamos FC in a home game on Sunday,4 October 2015, at Fatorda stadium in Margao with a kick-off time of 7 pm IST.
