New Delhi: Dempo coach Armando Colaco would like to take a cautious approach when his team take on Lebanese outfit Safa in the first leg of the AFC Cup semi-final at the Sports City Stadium in Beirut on Tuesday.

Speaking to The Telegraph from Beirut on Monday, Colaco said he would not mind if his star studded side return to their base in Goa with just one point in their kitty.

“I am not saying that we don’t want to win the match since victory remains our main target in every outing. But under the circumstances, a draw won’t be a bad result. After all, we will get them on our home turf in the return match,” the Dempo coach said.

In the morning, the entire Dempo side sat and watched video recording of the Safa versus East Bengal match played in the same competition last year, in which the Calcutta team succumbed at the end.

Colaco said he was convinced that his team was absolutely capable of overcoming the Lebanese rivals. “Midfield seems to be their main force,” Colaco said. “There is one player, Aamir Khan, who guides the midfield. We will certainly have to keep a watch on him.”

With goalkeeper Abhijit Mondal fit and raring to go, Dempo will take the field in full strength on Tuesday. While all their national team players — Mahesh Gawli, Samir Naik, Clifford Miranda and Climax Lawrence — will be there, a lot will depend on their two Nigerian strikers, Ranty Martins and Mboyo Iyomi. The match is at 4pm and the Dempo coach said he had already written to AFC to fix the return match at the same time in Goa.

“We could not host the quarter final against Home United at Goa as the AFC wanted the tie to be played under floodlights. It cost us Rs. 52 lakh to stage the match in Hyderabad. The AFC should allow us to hold it in Goa this time,” Colaco said.