After two productive away trips that yielded four points, the Lion City Sailors return home to face reigning Indonesia Liga 1 champions Persib Bandung in a crucial Group F Matchday Four tie, as they look to strengthen their bid to progress to the next round of the 2024/25 Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL) Two.
The last time the Sailors played at home, they opened their campaign with an impressive 2-0 victory over China’s Zhejiang Professional in September. However, they know this upcoming encounter against Persib will be anything but straightforward.
Win or bust for Persib
With Persib currently languishing at the bottom of Group F with one point from three matches – five adrift of second-placed Port FC, the Indonesian side knows they need nothing less than a win to keep their qualification hopes alive.
Persib’s only point so far came in a gritty 1-1 draw with the Sailors at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium two weeks ago, where they held on despite Dimas Drajad’s dismissal early in the second half.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Persib coach Bojan Hodak struck a defiant tone, and expressed confidence that his team is ready to make amends.
“This group is tough, and the other three teams are strong, the 53-year-old Croat said. “We were competitive in the first matches, but we were unlucky, which may have been due to inexperience.
“But with every game, we’re improving. Even in the last match (against the Sailors), I felt we were close to winning, but the red card made a difference, as we played with 10 men for half of the game. I hope tomorrow will be different, and that we can achieve a positive result.”
This time, the match will be played on the synthetic pitch of Jalan Besar Stadium — a slightly unfamiliar setting for Persib, but one they are determined to adapt to.
“To be honest, nobody likes playing on artificial pitches, but it’s something we can’t change,” said Hodak. “But we had a training session today, which should give the players enough time to adapt. They all have experience playing or training on artificial surfaces, but it’s definitely a disadvantage for teams outside of Singapore.”
Persib’s boost in personnel
While local star Drajad is set to miss out due to a three-match suspension following his dismissal against the Sailors, Persib will welcome prolific forward David da Silva back into the fold.
The 34-year-old Brazilian, who was last season’s Liga 1 top scorer with 30 goals in 34 matches, has joined Persib’s 20-man travelling squad after recovering from injury, and could feature for the Bandung outfit.
View this post on Instagram
Da Silva’s presence is a boost for an attack that has leaned heavily on compatriot Ciro Alves and Spanish playmaker Tyronne del Pino, who together have scored eight of Persib’s 18 league goals this season. Both players have been pivotal in Persib’s impressive start to the 2024/25 Liga 1 season; Hodak’s side remain the only unbeaten team after 10 matches and sit just one point off the top.
Persib were, however, frustrated in their most recent league outing last Friday (1 November), as they were held to a 1-1 draw by bottom-placed Semen Padang at home. And Hodak knows his team will have to step up their performance against a ‘dangerous’ Sailors side.
“The ACL Two is a different experience and a different level compared to the league,” said Hodak. “Unfortunately, our league schedule doesn’t help us, so we haven’t been able to field our best team. We’ve had to rotate players, and we’ve also had to deal with injuries and other issues.
“The Sailors have a very dangerous counterattack, with players like Maxime Lestienne, who have exceptional individual quality. They’re very disciplined and wait for the opponent to make mistakes.
“But I’m confident that if we play them with 11 men on the pitch, we can win this game.”
Brazilian defender Gustavo França, who joined the club from Portuguese second-division club C.D. Tondela in the off-season, added, “I’m sure it will be a tough game, especially since they (Sailors) have a good team. But I think we’re heading in the right direction, and our team is strong enough to perform well and get a positive result.”
Opportunity for Sailors to make history
Meanwhile, the mood in the Sailors camp is buoyant following a brilliant 3-1 away win against Port, which has put them at the top of Group F with seven points at the halfway stage of the Group Stage.
As such, the Sailors are in an excellent position to qualify for the ACL Two Round of 16 for the first time in the club’s history. A win against Persib, combined with a Port victory away against third-placed Zhejiang, would secure the Sailors’ place in the knockout stages with two games to spare.
Nonetheless Sailors Head Coach Aleksandar Ranković remains focused on the immediate task: to beat Persib and give the home fans another memorable night.
Under the Serb’s leadership, the Sailors have already defied expectations with home victories over South Korean side Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors and Chinese opposition in successive years.
“Obviously the Port win gives the team a lot of confidence, but I have to say we didn’t lack any confidence even before that, and this group has shown that they have the resilience to cope with tough times,” said the former ADO Den Haag man.
“There’s a good atmosphere within this team and we want to continue this good start. We’ll have our fans behind us again, and we really love the crowd whenever we host continental matches. I hope the fans will come and fill up the stadium because it’ll be a huge boost for our players.
“If there’s a moment to fill up the stadium, this is it. I hope they will all come, as we want to achieve something historical for them.”
Dutch midfielder Bart Ramselaar will miss out as he serves the final match of his two-game suspension, but the Sailors still have ample quality in their ranks to trouble Persib, including the likes of Maxime Lestienne, Shawal Anuar, and Lennart Thy. The latter is especially eager to make his mark as he eyes his first continental goal for the Sailors.
“After what we did so far in this group, we’re all excited to play tomorrow — especially in front of our home crowd,” said Lennart, who represented Werder Bremen in the 2010/11 UEFA Champions League.
“I had a good feeling from the first game when we defeated Zhejiang at home. We showed our level, we were compact and did what was asked of us. Everyone, including myself, is really looking forward to this game and I hope we can bring everything onto the pitch, just like what we did in the past few matches.”
