Kolkota: After emerging unbeaten from their first seven matches in this season’s AFC Cup, Indonesian side Semen Padang will be looking to continue their impressive debut in the competition when they meet Indian giants East Bengal in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday.
The Sumatran outfit have sparkled on their first appearance on the continental stage, winning six of their seven matches thus far including a dramatic 2-1 victory over Vietnamese side Da Nang in the Round of 16 when Vendry Ronaldo Moro netted the winner in stoppage time.
However, coach Jafri Sastra expects a much stiffer challenge for his side when they take on the tournament’s only other unbeaten club, East Bengal at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium in Kolkota.
“East Bengal is a good team having good foreigners and also with a good experience in AFC Cup but we will put up a good fight,” said the Semen Padang boss.
“We are in the midst of our season and have come fully prepared for this match and will strive hard for a win.”
Sastra’s biggest concern is his team’s unfamiliarity with the artificial surface at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium. But he believes that the Indonesian Premier League champions will be motivated by the opportunity to go one better than domestic rivals Persipura in 2011 and Arema in 2012 and become the first Indonesian side to reach the AFC Cup semi-finals.
“Although we do not have much experience of playing on astroturf yet we will aim to give our best as no Indonesian team has ever reached the semi-finals of the AFC Cup,” he said.
Argentinian forward Esteban Vizcarra is suspended for the game but Semen Padang will have the services of Liberian striker Edward Wilson, who is joint-second on the tournament’s scoring chart with nine goals.
This is Semen Padang’s second visit to India in this year’s competition following their 2-2 draw with East Bengal’s I-League rivals Churchill Brothers during a group stage game in Pune in March.
source : http://www.the-afc.com/
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