All or nothing at Home
Gary Koh
info@sleague.com
Only a win will do for Home United when they host Thai champions Provincial Electrical Authority (PEA) in their final winner-takes-all AFC Cup Group H match at Jalan Besar on Tuesday evening.
Anything less and their opponents will join Vietnamese club Becamex Binh Duong in the Round of 16, thus ending Singapore’s interest in Asian club competition.
Protectors coach PN Sivaji knows too well the challenge his men face ahead of their last group match and is relishing the struggle to the end.
“This has been, in my opinion, a very tough group and we got two teams, Binh Duong and PEA, who had Champions League experience,” he said.
“I have said at the beginning that it would go down to the wire at the very final group matches and we are now exactly at this stage.
“For PEA, they need a point, while we have to win to progress.”
When the two teams last met in Bangkok in March, PEA won the game 2-1. However, Home have a perfect record at Jalan Besar, winning both home matches played so far.
Sivaji believes this will put his side on the advantage as they seek the three points needed to advance.
“A draw is not enough for us, so we will go for the win since we are playing at home,” he added.
“Although we lost the previous game away and this will be a very close game, I fancy our chances at home.
“What will motivate our team is the need to win to qualify for the next round. We win, we qualify.
“There is no time to think about avenging the previous defeat (in Bangkok) or anything else.”
The veteran tactician reveals what the Protectors need to do to give themselves hope for continued involvement in the competition.
“The key for us is we must keep our possession well and put it into good use,” he noted.
“In the last game, we gave the ball away too cheaply and easily. PEA have some very good players who can do harm if we do not concentrate enough.”
PEA coach Thongsuk Sampahangsit cautions against taking things lightly despite his side only needing a point to confirm their ticket to the next round.
“While we need only one point to go through, we need to work hard to achieve the score we want,” he said.
“Football is an unpredictable game and anything can happen. Thus we do not want to just defend, but to play our game.”
The Southeast Asian Games-winning coach also expressed concern on getting the result his side desired on artificial turf.
“It will be advantageous to Home United,” he admitted.
“We do not have any artificial field back in Thailand, thus I will expect problems adapting to the surface.”
The Electric Men will be without the services of Thailand international defender Patiparn Phetphun, who sits out on the second of his two-match ban, while Laotian sharpshooter Lamnao Singto was not in the travelling party to Singapore.
Home’s do-or-die mission at Jalan Besar will not be any easier though as vice-captain Rosman Sulaiman is suspended and Isa Halim and Japanese forward Norikazu Murakami are ineligible in this competition.
A late decision will also be made on defender Juma’at Jantan who is recovering from his ankle injury sustained in the Protectors’ previous group match in Vietnam.
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