JAKARTA - Persija Jakarta will play the inaugural match of Liga 1 2023/2024 against PSM Makassar, which is the defending champion last season. Ahead of this match, the Kemayoran Tigers will only be strengthened by one foreign player.
The Persija Jakarta vs PSM Makassar match will take place at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK) on Monday, July 3 at 19.00 WIB. This inaugural match will be a steep path for Persija, because Thomas Doll as the coach said that in the match he would rely more on local players.
This condition must be faced by Persija because the only three foreign players owned by the team are Ryo Matsuyama who are available. The German coach then emphasized that he brought the names of two other foreign players, namely Ondrej Kudela and Marco Simic, who would not play.
Kudela has previously suffered muscle injuries and left knee and is currently recovering. Meanwhile, Marko Simic himself still has problems with visas.
"Just Ryo (Matsumura) a foreign player who can play tomorrow. But local players can show good progress so far and hope they can show their best performance tomorrow," Thomas Doll said in a press conference ahead of the match at Bellezza Hotel, South Jakarta on Sunday 2 July.
Regarding the number of foreign players from the Kemayoran Tigers, Thomas Doll also admitted that currently this is still a team problem because the process of recruiting foreign players is not finished and complete.
"Indeed, we still lack foreign players, the team president has also said, we are really finishing it," explained the coach.
The 57-year-old man himself hopes that in the inaugural match of Liga 1 2023/2024 all foreign player slots in the team can be fulfilled. But even though the situation is not yet optimal, Thomas Doll is not discouraged and remains confident that his team's match remains strong against PSM Makassar nati.
According to him, the existing players have undergone good preparations so that Witan Sulaeman et al are believed to be performing totality in order to provide a good spectacle to The Jakmania.
"It's better (players) complete, but I believe for tomorrow against PSM with the existing players. We are not favorites, but we can play in front of Jakmania,"
"Of course we have a chance to win against PSM, everyone is ready to give their best, totality for tomorrow and we have to show a good spirit, especially in front of Jakmania," he said.
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