Brandon Fernandes will captain a 25-man FC Goa squad at their Durand Cup 2023 campaign, which is slated to kickoff in Guwahati, Assam on August 8.
The Gaurs squad includes nine homegrown players, including Rayan Menezes who was recently promoted to the First team from their Developmental side.
Led by head coach Manolo Marquez, the Men in Orange have been drawn in Group D in the Durand Cup, alongside fellow-Indian Super League (ISL) side NorthEast United FC. Shillong Lajong FC and Downtown Heroes FC are the two other teams that complete the group.
The Durand Cup will mark the start of Noah Sadaoui’s second year at the FC Goa, after he racked up 11 goals and nine assists in just 23 appearances last season. New signings Carlos Martinez, Victor Rodriguez, Paulo Retre and Odei Onaindia accompany the Moroccan international in the foreign contingent.
Other new signings Rowllin Borges, Udanta Singh, Sandesh Jhingan, Boris Singh and Raynier Fernandes are also part of the squad travelling to Guwahati.
FC Goa, who won the Durand Cup in 2021, will play their first group stage match on August 8, when they take on Shillong Lajong FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati. On August 12, the Gaurs will face NorthEast United, and four days later, they will lock horns with Downtown Heroes.
The complete FC Goa squad for Durand Cup 2023 is as follows:
Goalkeepers: Dheeraj Singh, Arshdeep Singh, Hrithik Tiwari.
Defenders: Sanson Pereira, Sandesh Jhingan, Leander D’Cunha, Odei Onaindia, Boris Singh, Seriton Fernandes, Saviour Gama, Aibanbha Dohling, Jay Gupta, Rayan Menezes.
Midfielders: Raynier Fernandes, Brandon Fernandes, Ayush Chhetri, Udanta Singh, Rowllin Borges, Paulo Retre, Victor Rodriguez, Brison Fernandes, Muhammed Nemil.
Forwards: Noah Sadaoui, Carlos Martinez, Devendra Murgaokar.
