PSM talks up a win, Thais say draw OK

Andi Hajramurni, The Jakarta Post, Makassar, South Sulawesi

PSM of Indonesia will strive for a win when it hosts Krung Thai Bank in a Group F match of the Asian Champions League at the Mattoangin stadium here on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the visiting team said it would be happy with a draw.

"We are not bothered about how many goals we score. We will be certainly looking for a full point from tomorrow's match," PSM team manager Kadir Halid said after a meeting, which was also attended by the rival team's officials, here on Tuesday.

Kadir said being the host and given its good record against its Thai opponent, PSM should be able to overcome Krung Thai Bank.

"PSM has met many times with Thai clubs and we have registered more wins than losses. We are ready to tame this Thai team," he said.

PSM is planning to field two of its foreign players -- goalkeeper Chilean Gergio Pargas and Uruguayan Ronald Pargundes.

However, Uruguayan striker Christian Gonzales will not be in the lineup after he collected a red card during PSM's 1-5 drubbing by Hoang Ahn Gia Lai in Vietnam.

After their embarrassing away-defeat, Kadir said the Krung Thai match would provide PSM a good chance to bounce back to a victory.

To motivate the team, PSM management has pledged to give each player US$500 in cash bonuses for a win. Another package of bonuses also awaits goal-scorers.

Meanwhile, Warawut Sitthiyos, the assistant manager of Krung Thai Bank, said with little knowledge about PSM and its playing style the team would be happy with a draw.

"We will not be setting our targets too high, because we don't know PSM's strength. For us, a draw would be enough," Warawut said.

Krung Thai Bank, which features six Thai national players, lost to Dalian Shide 2-0 in its first match in Bangkok.

About 400 security personnel from local police will be deployed during the match. The organizers expect about 16,000 spectators will attend the game.