Indonesian National Team Players at Persib Stadium Become the Spotlight of Persija Coach

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta coach Mauricio Souza continues to mature the team ahead of the clash with Persib Bandung in the 17th week of the 2025/2026 Super League. However, he also highlighted some Indonesian national team players who strengthened the opponent's camp.

Persija will face Persib at the Gelora Bandung Lautan Api Stadium (GBLA) on Sunday, January 11, 2026. One of the preparations is to study the composition of the opponent's team which is inhabited by quality players and several Indonesian National Team players.

Currently, Persib is strengthened by several players labeled the Indonesian National Team, such as Eliano Reijnders, Beckham Putra, Marc Klok, and Thom Haye. In addition, Persib also has several quality players, such as Julio Cesar, Luciano Guaycochea, and Andrew Jung.

"This week we will start studying Persib. We already know the quality of the Persib team and the big investment they have made. There are several Indonesian national team players there too," said Mauricio as quoted by the Persija website on Thursday, January 8, 2026.

Even though they will be playing at home, Souza said that Persija will still play with the typical style of the Kemayoran Tigers.

"This week we will finalize the preparations for the match against Persib. However, we are there to play, do our own game plan. We respect the opponent, respect Persib, but we have our own objectives and we will pursue them," said Souza.

Currently, Persija is in second place in the 2025/2026 Super League standings with 35 points from 16 matches.

Meanwhile, Persib is in third place in the standings with 35 points from 16 matches. The fierce competition will certainly color the meeting of the two teams which are labeled as Indonesian classics.