Six clubs fight for semis on Thursday<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): With the final round-robin quarterfinals taking
\nplace on Thursday at both the Senayan Stadium here and Mattoangin
\nStadium in Makassar, South Sulawesi, the remaining six clubs will
\nfight their best to grab the three semifinal tickets.<\/p>\n
Only PSM Makassar has secured placement in the 2000 Bank
\nMandiri national soccer league semifinals with two victories in
\nprevious matches, and it now tops the Group B standing by six
\npoints.<\/p>\n
Group B's Persijatim of East Jakarta will have to win over PSM
\nto earn another semifinals ticket. The match itself will not
\ninfluence PSM's chance to get into the next round even if it
\nloses to Persijatim.<\/p>\n
It depends on PSM if the club, whose top striker Kurniawan Dwi
\nYulianto was freed of charges of using illegal drugs, wants to
\naward a winning point to Persijatim, which will not have a chance
\nto get to the semis with only a draw result.<\/p>\n
PSMS Medan, North Sumatra, and Pupuk Kaltim (PKT) of East
\nKalimantan still have a chance for the ticket.<\/p>\n
PSMS has an increase in motivation with the return of foreign
\nplayers Ariel Guiterrez and Nelson Leon Sanchez of Chile, who
\nwithdrew early this month after the club refused to raise their
\nsalaries.<\/p>\n
"We will pay close attention to PKT's top striker Marthen Tao
\nand midfielder Fachry Husaini. They have good dribbling skills,"
\nPSMS's captain Slamet Riadi told Bola sports tabloid.<\/p>\n
In Group A, host Persija, Arema Malang and Persikota will
\nstruggle for the top and runner-up positions.<\/p>\n
Arema and Persikota, which made good starts in the quarters'
\nopener Sunday, must beat Pelita and host Persija respectively on
\nThursday if they want to go to the semis. Arema and Persikota
\nshare the group's top position with four points but Arema leads
\nin goal difference.<\/p>\n
But Persija will not give up so easily. After losing its
\ncreative midfielder Luciano Leandro who was awarded a red card on
\nSunday, it will rely on Widodo C. Putro and Bambang Pamungkas to
\nspearhead the attacks.<\/p>\n
Persija has also taken stern measures to avoid bribery of
\nfavorite teams. The team's executive chairman Tonny Adiputra said
\nhe had warned any soccer gamblers to avoid the practice.<\/p>\n
"I think the gamblers in Jakarta know us. They understand the
\nconsequences if they have to confront us," he said on Wednesday,
\nadding that many of the gamblers were also his buddies.<\/p>\n
While Pelita, which has no more chances after losing two
\nmatches, pledged to fight hard to win on Thursday in order to
\nsave some pride.<\/p>\n
Despite the strategy, all the club's supporters have become
\nthe most feared factor to the public due to their brutal
\nbehavior.<\/p>\n
Arema will try to please its 5,000 supporters grouped in
\nAremania and so will Persikota. There have been no reports on
\nviolence in the last two matches, but on Sunday Arema's
\nsupporters managed to brake the tribune fences and spilt onto the
\nfield in the absence of security personnel.<\/p>\n
The Jakmania and Jakarta Governor Sutiyoso, who is also the
\nteam's patron, will arrive in their orange costumes to cheer
\nPersija's struggle to the semis. (ivy)<\/p>\n
Schedules (first match held at 5 p.m., second match at 7 p.m.)<\/p>\n
Group A: Arema vs Pelita (live on RCTI); Persija vs Persikota<\/p>\n
Group B: PSM vs Persijatim (live on TVRI); PKT vs PSMS<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/six-clubs-fight-for-semis-on-thursday-1447893297", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }