Villaflor: Kaya’s score to settle

IT’S match Day 3 of the AFC Cup 2020 group stage, and Kaya FC has a score to settle with PSM Makassar when the two clubs meet in Stadion Pakansari in Bogor near Jakarta, Indonesia.

The last time the two sides met was in the 2019 edition of the AFC Cup group stage, and it didn’t turn out too well for Kaya FC.

The Philippine club is probably still smarting from a 2-1 loss to PSM Makassar at the Panaad Stadium in Bacolod in April last year. Prior to that game, the two sides played to a closely contested 1-1 draw also at Pakansari.

Unlike Kaya FC, PSM Makassar progressed to the Asean Zonal semi-finals but failed to advance on away goals.

To kick off this year’s AFC Cup campaign, PSM Makassar started off at the wrong foot with a 2-1 away loss to Singapore club Tampines Rovers, but bounced back with a 3-1 home win against Burmese side Shan United.

Coming off a nil-nil draw with Tampines at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last month, Kaya FC needs to pull the trigger against a determined PSM Makassar side in their Group H encounter today at 4:30 p.m.

Both clubs have new head coaches. PSM Makassar has Croatian Bojan Hodak, while Kaya has Cebuano Oliver Colina.

Colina rued the missed opportunity for Kaya to take all three points against Tampines, but he is aiming for the win against PSM to remain as Group H leaders.

“We can’t promise anything, but we will definitely do our best,” Colina said via online messaging from Jakarta. “We’ll just play hard and try to get the three points here in order to stay on top of the table.”

“Individually, they have good players, but hopefully we can stop them, especially in how they attack,” Colina said when I asked him about the club’s preparations.

From the looks of it, PSM Makassar’s Brazilian forward Giancarlo Lopes Rodrigues and Indonesian striker Ferdinand Sinaga will be closely marked.

Sinaga has already scored five times this year in both domestic and international matches. The new signing Rodrigues has three goals to his name.

The other question is: who among Kaya FC will hit the back of the net this afternoon in Indonesia?

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