Maharshtra kick off Santosh Trophy campaign against rivals Goa today

Maharashtra will kick off their Santosh trophy campaign with a tough first opening game against Goa today. The West Zone qualifying round is held at Rajkot in Gujarat. The home side got off to a good start with a 5-1 thrashing of Diu & Daman yesterday, but all eyes will be on the game between Maharashtra & Goa, which are arguably the two best teams in the group.
Maharashtra announced their squad for the Santosh trophy last week which included eleven players from Mumbai, five players from Nagpur, two from Pune and one each from Aurangabad and Kolhapur.
The Maharashtra team will be coached by ONGC coach Caetino Pinho from Mumbai, while he will be assisted by Sameer Shaikh of Pune. Nagpur’s Iqbal Kashmiri is the team manager who will have Mumbai’s Dharmesh Patel for assistance.’
Maharashtra’s side reflects the coach’s confidence in his side as there six players from ONGC, including goalkeeper Ubaid C.K, striker Kailash Patil and Sachin Gawas. The team is led by Air India’s Vijit Shetty. He is accompanied by his team mated Siddharth Nayak and Praveen Sharma of Air India.
Today’s game with Goa will go a long way in deciding who will top the West Zone Qualifying charts, giving these two heavyweights an opportunity to set an early marker.
Maharashtra has won the Santosh trophy four times in their history while they are second only to West Bengal in terms of appearances in the final round with 15 appearances.
Maharashtra’s credentials will be put to a stern test when they face Goa later today at Rajkot.
Team: Ubaid C.K., Chetan Dawdhariya, Sachin Gawas, Omkar Singh, Vivek Kaira, Floyd Dharmai, Nitesh Munde, Vijith Shetty, Siddarth Nayak, Kailash Patil, Praveen Sharma (Mumbai); Mohd. Shafique, Shahbaz Pathan, Shakti Singh Thakur, Karan Atwal, Amol Yadav (Nagpur); Raviraj Kurne, Sandesh Gadkari (Pune); Mohd. Arif (Aurangabad); Jay Kumar Patil (Kolhapur).
Coach: Caitano Pinho (Mumbai), Asst. Coach: Mr. Sameer Shaikh (Pune), Manager: Iqbal Kashmiri (Nagpur), Asst. Manager: Dharmesh Patel (Mumbai).
Fixtures (West Zone qualifying round)
Jan 10: Gujarat vs Daman & Diu
Jan 11: Maharashtra vs Goa
Jan 12: Gujarat vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 13: Daman & Diu vs Goa
Jan 15: Maharashtra vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 16: Gujarat vs Goa
Jan 17: Madhya Pradesh vs Daman & Diu
Jan 18: Maharashtra vs Gujarat
Jan 19: Goa vs Madhya Pradesh
Jan 20: Daman & Diu vs Maharashtra
The top 2 teams from the group will qualify for the final round.
FC Goa appoints Manolo Marquez as new Head Coach
FC Goa confirm the appointment of Manolo Marquez as the Club’s new Head Coach. The Spaniard has put pen to paper on a multi-year contract that will see him take…
Coach’s trust goes a long way in building a player’s career, says Akash Mishra
In the last nine matches the Indian senior men’s team have played, Akash Mishra has not been on the pitch for only 12 minutes. Such has been his rise over…
Manolo Marquez: I know we’ll field a good team and enjoy a good season
Manolo Marquez, speaking in his first press conference since being announced as FC Goa’s new head coach sounded upbeat about the upcoming 2023-24 season, as he takes over the reins…
Shashwat Panwar on a journey of improvement with India U-17s
NEW DELHI: The India U-17 Men’s National Team have been on an impressive run in their training camps in Spain and Germany, pitting themselves against the youth teams of some of…
Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023: A quick-start guide to the Blue Tigers’ opponents
BHUBANESWAR: Since its inception in 2018, the Hero Intercontinental Cup has not been just a four-nation tournament, but also a convergence of various footballing styles and cultures. The inaugural edition was staged…
132nd Durand Cup to reach Shillong and Kokrajhar
Kolkata, June 07, 2023: The Local Organizing Committee (LOC) of the 132nd Durand Cup football tournament, today announced Shillong in Meghalaya and Kokrajhar in Assam, as the newest host cities for the…
Vikram Partap Singh signs extension with Mumbai City FC until 2026
Mumbai, 7 June 2023: Mumbai City FC are delighted to announce that Vikram Partap Singh has signed a three-year contract extension, keeping him with the Islanders until May 2026. The 21-year-old prodigious…
India U-17s beat Muang Thong United in training game
NEW DELHI: The India U-17 Men’s National Team defeated Muang Thong United U-17s 3-0 at the Kirin Valley Sports Complex in Khoyai, Thailand, on Tuesday, June 6, 2023. Korou Singh gave…
Indian Super League / Transfer News
Local lad Rahul Bheke signs one-year contract extension with Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC defender Rahul Bheke has signed a one-year contract extension with the Club, extending his stay with the Islanders until the end of the 2023-24 season. The 32-year-old…
Stimac bullish before Hero Intercontinental Cup opener against Mongolia
BHUBANESWAR: The India Senior Men’s Team will begin their Hero Intercontinental Cup 2023 campaign with a first-ever meeting against Mongolia on Friday, June 9, 2023, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar…
Somaiya Sports Academy to conduct trials for MFA 2nd Division campaign
Somaiya Sports Academy is looking for passionate young football players for the Somaiya Sports Academy Football Team to compete in the MFA 2nd Division League 2023-2024. If selected, you will…
BFC Soccer Schools – Mumbai to conduct trials for U14 & U16 Girls
The BFC Soccer Schools Elite team girls’ trials are coming up in search of talented players from the U14 to U16 (Born 2009 and after) age groups into the club’s…
Opportunity to make the team: U.K.M. Kothrud FC conducts selection trials for girls team
Pune-based U.K.M. Kothrud FC has announced that they will be conducting selection trials for their girl’s team on 15th January 2023 The club welcomes all players to come and showcase…
The Sunday Football League Season 4 is back
The Sunday Football League is back with its fourth season, and it’s shaping up to be the best one yet. With eight talented teams competing at the Kes Kandivali turf, there…
BFC Soccer Schools Elite team trials in Feb
Bengaluru FC launched their Mumbai program last season with the Soccer Schools and Elite programs with its local partner Soccer Schools of Excellence (SSE). Bengaluru Football Club is a professional club…
India Khelo Football Season 2 Trials in Mumbai: A Chance to Kickstart Your Football Career
After conducting trials in 34 cities & villages across India, India Khelo Football is coming to Mumbai to hunt talent on 7th January. India Khelo Football kickstarted its season 2…
Elite Division / MDFA / Trials
Mumbai Customs to conduct trials for Elite League
Former champions Mumbai Customs will be holding open trials for the upcoming MFA Elite Corporate League (Elite Division) The 2019 MFA Elite Division champions Mumbai Customs are conducting open trials…
Sunday Boys to hold trials for MFA 1st Division
MFA 1st division side Sunday Boys FC will be conducting trials in the first week of November for the upcoming football season Sunday Boys Football Club was established in the…
Elite Division / MDFA / Trials
Millat FC to hold trials for MFA Elite Premier League
Millat FC – a club plying their trade in MFA Elite Division will be conducting open trials for their upcoming 2022-23 season Last season Millat had a decent run in…
Elite Division / MDFA / Trials
MFA Elite Division club KSA to conduct trials for the upcoming season
Karnataka Sporting Association (KSA) – a club plying their trade in MFA Elite Division will be conducting open trials for their upcoming 2022-23 season Last season KSA had an amazing…