Five Persija Players Absent in the Match against Madura United, Mauricio Souza Not Worried

JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta started the second round of the 2025/2026 Super League with a big challenge against Madura United. In addition, the Kemayoran Tigers are also guaranteed to perform without five key players.

Persija will host Madura United at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Friday, January 23, 2026, at 19.00 WIB.

Instead of starting the second round with full strength, Persija limped because of the absence of Hanif Sjahbandi, Fabio Calonego, Van Basty Sousa, Ryo Matsumura, and Bruno Tubarao.

The absence of the five players quite affects the balance of the team, especially in the middle sector and the attack line. This condition forces the coaching team to adjust the composition and strategy so that the team's performance is maintained even without a number of key players.

However, Mauricio Souza as Persija's coach stressed that the situation would not weaken the team's ambitions. He said the preparations had been made to the maximum despite the limitations of the players being unavoidable.

Souza emphasized that Persija's target has remained the same since the start of the season, namely competing until the end to win the Super League title this season.

"Everyone knows that there are some of our players who can't play tomorrow. However, we have time to prepare. We will start the second round and we know our goal is to be champions this year."

"So, even though there are some players who can't play tomorrow, we have motivated the other players. We know that the match will not be easy tomorrow. However, I believe we did well in the match tomorrow," said Mauricio Souza at a press conference ahead of the match at SUGBK, Thursday, January 22, 2026.

The absence of three players in the midfield is a matter of concern ahead of the match against Madura United. However, Mauricio Souza ensured that alternative game schemes had been prepared during training sessions.

According to him, the available players showed positive developments and were able to carry out instructions well so that they remained optimistic about achieving maximum results.

"In the midfield, there are indeed several players who can't play, but we have trained the best formation, good training. I'm sure we can win if the players play like during the training session," said Souza.

Despite the many players who were absent, Souza remained confident, especially if he looked at the record in the first round meeting. At that time, Persija managed to bring home a narrow 1-0 victory from the home of Madura United thanks to Maxwell's single goal.

However, on the other hand, Souza is still vigilant because he considers the current condition of Madura United to be very different. With the arrival of a new coach and a number of new players, Laskar Sape Kerrab is considered to perform more solid and has the potential to provide a fierce resistance.