Barito Putera With Good Note Capital At Home, Persebaya Determined To Rise

JAKARTA - Persebaya Surabaya has a high ambition to rise when playing away matches to Barito Putera headquarters. The match will be held at the Demang Lehman Stadium on Thursday, November 9 at 15.00 WIB.

In the 19th week of Liga 1 2023/2034, Persebaya Surabaya is still in 12th position in the standings with 22 points from 17 matches. This position made Bajul Ijo determined to win the full three points.

However, this duel is not an easy match for Persebaya Surabaya considering that the host Barito Putera has a slick record at home.

Laskar Antasari has only lost once in eight games at home. The only team that was able to get full points at Barito Putera's headquarters was Madura United.

On the other hand, Madura United is also a team that has beaten Persebaya with a score of 3-0. This makes Bajul Ijo even more difficult.

However, Persebaya's interim coach, Uston Nawawi, is not worried about the challenges his team will face later. Barito Putera's flashy record is actually an additional motivation for Reva Adi Utama et al to be able to win.

"Of course it (the opponent's record) is our motivation, both players and coaches because we haven't got points in these matches," said Uston Nawawi.

Uston Nawawi's presence at Persebaya Surabaya as an interim coach himself cannot be separated from the situation of the team which has drawn defeats in three consecutive matches. This is related to the fate of their coach, Josep Gombau, whose continuation is not yet clear.

Persebaya's negative trend began when they were humiliated with a score of 2-3 when they hosted Persib Bandung on October 7. Next they lost twice in a row, namely 1-3 against Bali United and 0-4 against Persik Kediri.

The result makes Persebaya's difference in points in the 12th position at the moment quite close to the relegation zone. Arema FC, who is in 16th position or the top position in the red zone, collects 17 points. This means that only five points difference with Bajul Ijo.

If you fail to beat Barito Putera, it is not impossible that Persebaya will further decline to the bottom. Uston Nawawi again responded casually to this situation.

"Everything, not only the relegation zone, which is in the top four, the difference is also thin. The most important thing is that we all fight," he added.

Uston Nawawi did not face the problem of adapting as an interim coach of Persebaya Surabaya. He had previously received this position after the departure of Aji Santoso this season.

The original Sidoarjo coach acted as a caretaker with an unbeaten result in five matches. The details are quite impressive by being able to win four of them and the other ends in a draw.

"Of course, in this second round all teams prepare themselves, so we have to be ready. Whoever we fight later in the second round must be ready," said Uston Nawawi.