How can FC Goa line up for their clash against Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia in AFC Champions League Two?

The Gaurs lost their home fixture against Al Nassr in ACL2.

FC Goa look to salvage a respectable result for themselves when they travel to Saudi Arabia to face off against Al-Nassr in their next AFC Champions League Two group game.

Even though the Gaurs are already out of reckoning for qualification for the knockout rounds, they’ll be playing for pride and aim to keep Indian football’s name shining bright.

Manolo Marquez realizes that he needs to unearth a near-perfect performance from his squad to be able to get a positive result against Al-Nassr. Moreover, the Spanish gaffer will also need to get his team selection perfectly for them to produce an admirable performance and have any chances of causing an upset over the Saudi Arabian giants. Here, we look at how the FC Goa side can line up for the match against Al-Nassr.

Goalkeeper: Hritik Tiwari

There isn’t much to debate about this one. Hritik Tiwari has established himself as the permanent goalkeeper for FC Goa under Marquez and he produced a pretty good performance in the loss to Al-Nassr in Goa as well. The young goalkeeper was able to prove his quality by making some impressive saves in the last against Al-Nassr, showcasing his reflexes to frustrate the visitors.

Tiwari has had a pretty impressive campaign in the 2025 Super Cup, keeping two clean sheets in the group stages for FC Goa. He will need to be brave with his distribution and shot-stopping against Al-Nassr to keep them quiet and perfect with his game-reading ability too.

Right-Back: Boris Singh

Boris Singh is another player who has become a mainstay in the FC Goa team under Manolo Marquez, as he’s featured in six of their seven matches so far in the 2025-26 season. The 25-year-old’s hard-working nature and ability to press the opposition wingers as well as match their pace is an important reason for him to remain in that right-back role.

Boris is also able to carry the ball into the danger areas really well and came very close to scoring in the last game against Al-Nassr. He should be able to keep his place at right-back in the trip to Saudi Arabia, as he’ll look to be defensively sturdier by winning more duels and also help create more chances on the transitions.

Centre-Back: Sandesh Jhingan

Sandesh Jhingan knows that he’ll have a ton of responsibilities on his shoulders heading into the game against Al-Nassr at their own yard. To his credit, the India international produced a pretty solid effort in the last game against the Saudi giants, even keeping Joao Felix quiet in the second half. Jhingan will, however, amp up his performance levels even more for FC Goa to be able to survive the onslaught against Al-Nassr in their home turf.

Jhingan needs to be a commanding figure at the back, read the opposition moves well to make key clearances and also be vocal to keep those around him calm and compact. He’ll need to reproduce something similar to his performance in India’s 0-0 draw against Qatar in 2019 for the Gaurs to hold their own against the Al-Nassr attack.

Centre-Back: Pol Moreno

Pol Moreno was actually quite underwhelming in FC Goa’s 2-1 loss to Al-Nassr in the last AFC Champions League two match, making a few lapses in judgement that impacted his isde. He will look to produce a much sturdier performance in the return leg and prove why the Gaurs were right to sign him in the summer window. Moreno needs to maintain a sturdy defensive shape with Jhingan, mirroring his movement and creating an understanding to shut out Al-Nassr and make it difficult for them to breach through their backline.

The Spaniard needs to be smart with his game-reading to make crucial challenges and smooth with his passing too. If Moreno can produce his best performance, then he can help frustrate the hosts and possible carve out a result for the Gaurs.

Left-Back: Aakash Sangwan

As Manolo Marquez still doesn’t seem to trust the experience factor of Jerry Lalrinzuala for continental matches, there is a strong chance that Aakash Sangwan will keep his starting role against Al-Nassr. He did a pretty good job in the last game, especially in the second half, where Sangwan even dealt pretty nicely with Sadio Mane’s threat on occasion in his wing.

He will need to be composed and strong to deal with the kind of pressure that Al-Nassr will aim to put FC Goa through in the next game. Sangwan needs to be clean and on-time with his challenges to regain possession in key areas and help his side on the transitions. He’ll also need to be more helpful going forward, carrying the ball into key areas and making better use of his crossing ability.

Centre-Midfield: Ayush Chhetri

Ayush Chhetri was able to produce some impressive performances for FC Goa in the Super Cup and could end up being given the rub against Al-Nassr at their own yard. The young midfielder has been a favourite of Manolo Marquez since his time as the India national team head coach and has gained some experience of playing against foreign opponents. Chhetri will need to be combative with his challenges, press the Al-Nassr players properly and win the duels in the right areas to ensure his side’s midfield isn’t overrun.

Moreover, Chhetri also has to be smart with his passing and ensure he doesn’t give the ball away regularly. If the young midfielder is able to maintain his cool and be a tenacious figure in the midfield, he can help disrupt Al-Nassr’s momentum and make it tougher for them to move through central areas.

Centre-Midfield: Borja Herrera

Borja Herrera has evolved into a pretty senior figure for FC Goa and he will probably need to assume a more deeper, defensive midfield role in the upcoming game against Al-Nassr. He will need to track back more to help provide a stronger shield to the backline and stop Al-Nassr’s flow in the key areas.

He will need to be strong with his challenges to win the ball back in key areas and help his side soar forward on the transitions. Herrera will also be looking to be more impactful from the set-pieces, using his impressive crossing qualities to create genuine chances from corners or free kicks for his side.

Right-Wing: Udanta Singh

Udanta Singh definitely boasts a lot of experience of playing in continental competitions in his career, having made 26 appearances in the AFC Cup during his time at Bengaluru FC. That is why he’s been extensively used in the AFC Champions League Two by Manolo Marquez this season, with the winger’s experience levels being appreciated by the Spanish gaffer. Udanta has the hard-working trait to be able to cover a lot of distance, while he’s also often able to provide cover for Boris Singh when the full-back makes forward runs.

His chemistry with Boris, as well as Udanta’s ability to burst forward into the key areas on the transitions and creative ability make him a reliable figure for the Gaurs. He’ll need to be smart with his work in the final third, nailing his crosses and try to sneak into more scorable situations to threaten the Al-Nassr backline.

Attacking Midfield: Dejan Drazic

Dejan Drazic had a pretty forgettable game for FC Goa in their last game against Al-Nassr, being harassed by their defenders and looking quite uncomfortable in no.9 role. However, Drazic should be able to start in the no.10 role for FC Goa in the upcoming game against the Saudi Arabia giants and will look to take the fight to them as well.

He will be aiming to play a more influential role in the build-up play for his side’s chances and be a driving figure on the transitions for them too. Drazic will really need to nail his final third passes and delivery into the key spaces to open up opportunities for his teammates to pounce. He’ll also need to be better with his own finishing to be able to cause a shock to the opposition backline.

Left-Wing: Brison Fernandes

Even though Brison Fernandes might’ve been on the bench in the previous game against Al-Nassr, his heroics in the 2-1 loss means that won’t be the case in this upcoming clash. Fernandes was arguably FC Goa’s biggest threat in the game, with his speed and directness causing them a lot of trouble.

He will need to maintain the same kind of intensity and feistiness with his forward runs and show fearlessness in taking on the defenders in the key areas. The exciting winger needs to be on point with his forward movement and nail his final product to be able to help his side take the fight to Al-Nassr.

Centre-Forward: Javier Siverio

Unfortunately for Javier Siverio, a nasty injury issue held him back from being able to make a real impact in the previous outing against Al-Nassr. However, he has since recovered from the problem and should be able to start against the Saudi Pro League giants in the upcoming match.

However, Siverio needs to be smart and gritty with handling himself in the opposition half, winning duels and hassling their defenders to put them into uncomfortable situations. Siverio also needs to be spot-on with his link-up play, and more important put away any chances that come his way for him to be able to carve out an important result for his side.

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