ISL: FC Goa's Bedia flies home, to miss first leg of playoffs

The Spanish midfielder flew back home last Sunday citing personal reasons and will miss the first leg of the ISL semifinal playoff.

Bedia has been a regular fixture under former coach Sergio Lobera since he joined the club in 2017.

FC Goa will be without the services of its central midfielder Edu Bedia for the first leg of the Indian Super League playoffs.

Sportstar understands that the Spanish midfielder flew back home last Sunday citing personal reasons and will miss the first leg of the semifinal playoff.

“It was an unavoidable situation [for Bedia]. We want him to handle it and we are hoping he will be back with us before the second leg,” Ravi Puskur, director of football at Goa, told Sportstar .

At the end of the league stages on Tuesday, Goa will learn which team among Bengaluru FC and Chennaiyin FC it will face in the first leg over the weekend.

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While unclear on whether Bedia will feature in the second leg at home on March 7, it is expected that he will be back with the squad before the fixture.

Bedia, 30, has been a regular fixture under former coach Sergio Lobera since he joined the club in 2017 but in the ongoing season he has just made three starts with Frenchman Hugo Boumous being preferred in the playing XI.

Goa only has five foreigners available for the first leg of the playoffs after the club decided against signing a seventh overseas player at the start of the season.

Goa finished the league stages on top of the table with 39 points and in the process sealed an AFC Champions League group stage spot for the next season.