Arema Aims for Top Spot in Group B
Jakarta. Having secured a place in the SCM Cup 2015 semifinals by edging out Persela Lamongan on Tuesday, Arema Indonesia now wants more, as it aims to end the group stage on top of the heap.
With six points, Arema leads Group B and it only needs one point to top the group when it plays rival Persipura Jayapura at the Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, East Java, today.
Persipura slipped up in the opening match when it lost 1-0 to Persela, but the Papua club bounced back stronger and trashed Mitra Kukar in a 4-1 rout on Tuesday, keeping its semifinal chances alive.
Arema head coach Suharno said they’re aware of Persipura’s upward trend.
“We’ve secured a spot in the semifinals, but we want to be the group leader. We have seen that Persipura is on the rise as they played very well when they beat Mitra Kukar,” Suharno said, as quoted by Arema’s official website on Wednesday.
Compared to their rivals, the Crazy Lions have shown steady form in the preseason tournament by taking two wins in their group. In first match, they trashed Mitra Kukar by 5-2.
Nevertheless, Suharno said his side was still far from its best form. “It’s still long way to go. We haven’t found our best formation. And we play in the preseason tournament to find it.”
Meanwhile, Persela will also be on the hunt for a spot in the semifinals when it plays Mitra Kukar.
The East Java side stunned Persipura in a 1-0 win before losing 2-1 to Arema. Three points may take it to the semifinals if the Papuan side fails to beat Arema.
Interim coach Didik Ludiyanto said his side played well against Arema, though the players lost focus in the last minute, which has cost them points. “The boys have to maintain their focus throughout the match. One simple mistake could change the result of the game as tonight’s [Tuesday] result showed,” Didik told the Jakarta Globe.
With a semifinal spot at stake, Didik has demanded that his players improve their focus. Instead of thinking about the semi-finals, he wants them to play better.
“I just want to see my team play better than our previous two matches,” he said.
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