E. Bengal seeks another host shock<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
After snuffing out Persita's ambitions, Kingfisher East Bengal is
\nlooking for another victory when it faces the last remaining
\nIndonesian team, Petrokimia Putra, in the semifinals of the LG
\nCup ASEAN Club Championship here on Thursday.<\/p>\n
East Bengal's coach Subash Bhowmick said during a media
\nconference here on Wednesday that they would have to perform
\nbetter than ever because the next opponent is also a home team.<\/p>\n
Bhowmick cautioned his players about the loud support from
\ntens of thousands of Indonesian fans, who are expected to flock
\nto Bung Karno stadium in Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"This is a very crucial game for us,\" he said according to
\nAntara.<\/p>\n
The Petrokimia-Kingfisher match will be played at 3:30 p.m.,
\nfollowed by the other semifinal match between BEC Tero Sasana of
\nThailand and Perak FC of Malaysia.<\/p>\n
After its 2-1 defeat of Persita in the quarterfinals, East
\nBengal has been touted as the favorite to beat Petrokimia.<\/p>\n
However, Bhowmick, who admitted to having little knowledge of
\nPetrokimia, said he was not flattered by the praise, warning the
\nplayers not to be overconfident.<\/p>\n
He said they may have predicted to win but, he added, it would
\nthe game that would count.<\/p>\n
Petrokimia's coach Alexander Sikov conceded that East Bengal
\nhad better talent, but he said they were not by any means
\noverawed by their opponents.<\/p>\n
\"We won't sit back against them. The players are in good
\nshape, physically and mentally. We've had enough rest days,\"
\nSikov said, adding that he would rate their chance at fifty-
\nfifty.<\/p>\n
Sikov said he was worried particularly about the attack front,
\nwith only Rivaldo and Jainal Ikhwan as the strikers.<\/p>\n
He hoped that the unbalanced front line would be compensated
\nby good communication in the midfield, which is marshaled by
\nDanilo Fernando, Agus Indra, Gatot Indra and Yance Katehokang.<\/p>\n
Recollecting their quarterfinal match against the Singapore
\nArmed Forces (SAF) FC, Sikov warned the players not to have
\nanother lackluster run at the start, which resulted in them
\ntrailing 0-2 before recovering for a 3-2 win.<\/p>\n
\"They must attack from the start with persistence, because
\nthey are up against a better team,\" the Moldovan coach said of
\nhis team.<\/p>\n
Team manager Imam Supardi appealed for support not only from
\nUltrasmania, the nickname of the Gresik-based club's fans, but
\nalso from all Indonesians, saying that it would be the nation's
\npride at stake.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Perak FC will take on their Thai opponents without
\ntheir main players Indra Putra Mahyuddin and K. Nanthankumar, who
\nhave been called back home for national duty.<\/p>\n
The Malaysian national team is involved in the FA Premier
\nLeague Asia Cup with English premier clubs: Newcastle United,
\nChelsea and Birmingham.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/e-bengal-seeks-another-host-shock-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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