JAYAPURA, SUARAPAPUA.com — After being held to a draw by Persiraja Banda Aceh in week 20 of the 2021 BRI Liga 1 competition on Sunday (16/1/2022) night, Persipura Jayapura will play a number of tough matches in the second round.
There are at least six strong teams waiting for the Black Pearl team to win after failing to win three points in week 20.
Facing the following six matches, of course Ferinando Pahabol and his friends must fight extra hard to strengthen their position further away from the relegation zone.
Based on the match schedule released by the New Indonesia League, the match after being played by Persiraja was Arema FC. Persipura will challenge the team from Malang, East Java, on Friday (28/1/2022) at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali.
Everyone knows, Arema FC is the strongest team in the Indonesian League 1 competition. So far, the performances of Dendi Santoso and his friends have been quite impressive, both in the first round and at the beginning of the second round.
Until week 20, Arema FC is still safe at the top of the standings by depositing 41 points. It’s no exaggeration if the Singo Edan team—the nickname of Arema FC—is listed as one of the candidates to win League 1 this season.
Whatever the final result of the match against Arema FC, it will clearly affect Persipura’s ranking in the standings. Grateful if you win or draw. If they lose, Persela Lamongan and Barito Putera have the opportunity to be replaced by only one point.
Despite getting one point from the match against Persiraja, the Mutiara Hitam team is prone to dropping into the red box aka the relegation zone. Persipura collected 17 points from 20 matches. Meanwhile, Persiraja remain at the bottom of the standings.
Not only Mad Singo. Persipura will face the following super tough match.
Yes, Madura United FC will definitely provide fierce resistance when they meet in the match week 22, Monday (31/1/2022), or four days after the Arema FC service. The team nicknamed Laskar Sape Kerrap is ranked 13th.
Another final match, Persipura versus Persebaya Surabaya on Saturday (5/2/2022) at the Gelora Ngurah Rai Stadium, Denpasar. Persebaya is now with 39 points perched in the third position of the standings under Bhayangkara FC.
After that, Angel Alfredo Vera’s squad will meet Persik Kediri. Match week 23 will be played three days later, on Wednesday (9/2/2022) at Kompyang Sujana Stadium, Denpasar, Bali.
Persipura will again challenge Barito Putera on Thursday (13/2/2022). Then, Friday (18/2/2022) a duel with Persib Bandung. Both matches will be held at the Captain I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Gianyar, Bali.
From the current fifth position, the Maung Bandung team is fighting hard in the struggle for the 2021 season champion.
Referring to the match schedule, it is clear that there is no single team that the Persipura squad can predict will be overcome. Yes, the six teams are listed as the strongest teams in Indonesia’s elite competition.
Coach Alfredo Vera’s statement was correct in the pre-match press conference session, Saturday (15/1/2021) afternoon, ahead of the match against Persiraja.
“There are no easy matches in Indonesian football. Everyone has to work hard to win,” said Alfredo, accompanied by Takuya Matsunaga.
Apparently the Argentinian coach is well aware of the extra super struggle that his players must muster, especially since the current team is not yet safe from the threat of relegation next season.
Up to 15th position in the standings, the team based at the Mandala Jayapura Stadium was affixed with Persela and Barito Putera. Ian Kabes and his friends left the relegation zone thanks to three points over Persija Jakarta, Tuesday (11/1/2022).
The match is only week 20. Persipura’s tough struggle in front of the eyes is not over yet. Especially in completing the rest of the second round of competition. Although so far it has crawled one level from the red zone.
The solution, the team’s performance must be improved again. This is very important in order to stay safe aka not down caste because now the competition at the bottom of the League 1 standings is quite tight.
Coach Alfredo also hopes for his squad to win every game even though it is difficult to see the opponent’s strength is almost evenly distributed.
“Players must be more aggressive in taking advantage of scoring opportunities against the opponent’s goal,” he pleaded.
He is also still optimistic that the Black Pearl squad will still exist in League 1 next season. That is, the opportunity to stay away from the threat of relegation is wide open. As long as you improve the mentality of the players to appear more consistent in every game until the end of the competition.
This was admitted by Ferinando Pahabol, captain of Persipura, in the press conference session after the match against Persiraja.
Pahabol even apologized for his failure to maximize the penalty kick against Persiraja in the 85th minute. His kick ball was successfully pushed over by Fakhrurrazi Quba, Persiraja’s goalkeeper.
Until the match ended there were no goals from the two teams from the west and east ends of Indonesia. The match ended in a draw.
“Perhaps first, I apologize to the Papuan people (and all the loyal Persipura supporters) because today I couldn’t give a victory.”
The failure, according to him, must be redeemed in the next match. The opponent that will be faced is Arema FC, the leader of the temporary standings.
“Our opponent tonight played really well. We struggled (scoring goals). Hopefully the next game we have to be more prepared,” said Feri Pahabol.
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