MANILA – Kaya Futbol Club-Iloilo looks to stay alive in chase for a zonal semifinals seat in the 2019 AFC Cup group stage when it faces Lao Toyota this afternoon at the Panaad Park and Stadium in Bacolod City.
The Iloilo City-based football club was relegated to third spot in Group H standings with five points on one win, two draws and a loss, while Lao Toyota is already out of contention with one point.
Kaya Iloilo dropped to such spot following its heart breaking 2-1 defeat in the hands of group stage leader PSM Makassar of Indonesia on April 17 in Bacolod City.
Kaya Iloilo head coach Noel Marcaida admitted they committed some miscues against the Indonesians two weeks ago and they hope to correct that against the dangerous Laos team.
“We need to learn to control our emotions,” Marcaida said. “(Against PSM Makassar) there were actions not advantageous to us, and we lost more time to chase the game.”
“This is a crucial game (against Laos). We need to get maximum points to stay at the top of the table,” he added. “The team that is hungrier to get the three points will get the result.”
Despite Lao Toyota being eliminated, Kaya Iloilo could not take their opponent for granted as the two teams settled for 1-1 draw in their first encounter behind the exchange of points of Jovin Bedic and Sayfa Aphideth.
“It’s going to be a test of character, not just for our players, but for them as well. If we have an answer for their set pieces, I think we’ll be having a positive outcome,” Marcaida said./PN
