Delhi Dynamos FC host FC Goa in the opening leg of the first semi-final of the 2015 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi. Friday’s encounter between these two teams led by legendary Brazilians, Roberto Carlos and Zico, promises to be a fascinating clash after their last match that saw the Gaurs come back from two goals down and beat the Lions 3-2. FC Goa have had a taste of the semi-finals before, narrowly missing out on the final last season after losing to eventual champions Atlético de Kolkata in penalty shootout. Delhi, on the other hand, are the only new contenders in the semi-finals this season and will have to play out of their skin over two legs to advance ahead of the Gaurs.Form Guide (Last 5 matches):Delhi Dynamos FC: W-L-W-D-LFC Goa: W-L-D-W-WHead-to-head: Delhi Dynamos FC have never beaten FC Goa in the history of the league. All four matches between these two sides so far have ended in wins for the Gaurs.Anas Edathodika vs ReinaldoAnas Edathodika has been a leader in the heart of defence for the Dynamos this season. He has developed a brilliant understanding with his centre-back partner John Arne Riise, making Delhi one of the most difficult defences to break down this season. Edathodika has come to his side’s rescue on numerous occasions and has also contributed in attack by getting his name on the scoresheet once. He’s also comfortable in possession with a passing accuracy of 88% and has made the most number of clearances by any Delhi player this season (140).Reinaldo will be Goa’s most lethal threat to the Delhi backline. The powerful Brazilian’s form has been nothing short of breath-taking in the second half of the league stage. Dangerous in the vicinity of goal, the robust Brazilian centre-forward is also capable of creating opportunities for his team-mates and has provided four assists this season. He has also scored the maximum goals (7) for Goa this season, including a hat-trick against Kerala Blasters FC.Florent Malouda vs Leo MouraFlorent Malouda has been the linchpin in Delhi Dynamos FC’s midfield engine-room. The veteran Frenchman currently tops the leaderboard for the most number of assists in league along with Leo Moura (8). He has also completed the most number of passes for Delhi (673) and doesn’t neglect his defensive duties as his 38 tackles from midfield suggest. The 35-year-old will have a key role to play on Friday and Delhi will be hoping that Malouda’s composure and vision on the ball unsettles Goa’s defence.In what is set to be a spectacular battle for midfield supremacy, Leo Moura will come up in a direct confrontation with Malouda at the centre of the park. Moura has been the Gaurs’ most influential player this season and was rested by Zico when these two sides met in the last game of the league stage. The veteran Brazilian has completed more passes than other player in the league (724) and has been directly involved in 10 goals for Goa this season – eight assists and two goals. He has also attempted the most number of crosses from his team (42) and is a genuine threat from dead-ball situations.Robin Singh vs Gregory ArnolinRobin Singh was handed the responsibility of spearheading the Delhi Dynamos FC attack at the beginning of the season by Carlos and the 25-year-old Indian international has responded brilliantly by churning out several top-class performances during the league stage. Singh’s physical style of play suits Delhi, who rely on runners in behind defences. The 25-year-old, who has netted thrice this year, could also be a massive threat in the box during dead-ball situations.Gregory Arnolin will head into the first leg knowing exactly what to expect having been a part of the Goan squad that fell short against ATK last year. Arnolin has again nailed down his spot in the starting 11, courtesy of numerous outstanding performances over the league stage. A dominant figure in the Goan backline, Arnolin likes to command his penalty area. His judicious use of the ball sees him boast a passing accuracy of 89% - the best by anyone from Goa. He has also made the most number of clearances for his team (99) and scored once this season.Quotes:It’s 180 minutes [over two legs]. So tomorrow there is no decision. That’s why we have to perform the way we did in the first half of the last game. I’m sure it’s going to be a very nice game. Tomorrow we will do our duty but the decision will be in Goa: Delhi Dynamos FC marquee player-cum-coach Roberto CarlosI hope we can improve from last year. We reached the semi-finals and lost. This year, I hope we can reach the final and do our best there. I think we fulfilled all the expectations we had. We played good football, played a good game and now we are here: FC Goa head coach ZicoSquads:Delhi Dynamos FC: Antonio Doblas Santana, Sanjiban Ghosh, Ishan Debnath, Thokchom Naoba Singh, Prabir Das, Roberto Carlos [marquee], John Arne Riise, Robert Lalthlamuana, Anas Edathodika, Anwar Ali, Anderson Sebastiao Cardoso [Chicao], Shylo Malsawmtluanga [Mama]. Sehnaj Singh, Souvik Chakraborty, Hans Mulder, Serginho Greene, Zodingliana Tochhawng, Gunasekhar Vignesh, Florent Malouda, Gustavo dos Santos Marmentini, Seminlen Doungel, Robin Singh, Richard Gadze, Adil Nabi, Vinicius Ferreira de SouzaFC Goa: Elinton Sanchotene Andrade, Luis Barreto, Laxmikant Kattimani, Lucimar Da Silva Ferreira [Lucio] [marquee], Gregory Arnolin, Luciano Sobrosa, Keenan Almeida, Nicolau Colaco, Raju Gaekwad, Debabrata Roy, Narayan Das, Joffre Mateu Gonzalez, Leonardo da Silva Moura [Leo Moura], Jonatan Lucca, Denson Devdas, Pronay Halder, Bikramjit Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Romeo Fernandes, Reinaldo Da Cruz Oliveira, Rafael Coelho, Macpherlin Omagbemi Dudu, Thongkoisep Haokip, Victorino Fernandes, Joaquim Abranches, CS Sabeeth.
