Balikpapan: Indonesia’s PSM Makassar and Shan United of Myanmar will come head to head in Matchday Two in a Group A fixture to be held at the Batakan Stadium in Balikpapan.
A gritty display in the opening fixture saw PSM hold Thailand’s BG Pathum United goalless last month and since then the club have had a busy period of domestic action.
Interestingly, all four of the club’s Liga 1 fixtures since then have taken place at home with a 3-1 win against Dewa United last month being their only win. A narrow 1-0 defeat against Arema FC was sandwiched between goalless draws against Persib Bandung and PSIS Semarang as an indifferent run of form has seen them drop to fifth place in the standings.
However, there has been positives to take for PSM as well with forward Nermin Haljeta being adjudged as the Liga 1 Player of the Month for August while centre-back Victor Luiz has produced solid performances week in week out, alongside the ever-reliable captain Yuran Fernandes.
Head coach Bernardo Tavares will look towards the likes of Haljeta, Adilson Silva and Tito Okello to end the club’s recent goal drought on Wednesday.
In contrast, the mood in the Shan United camp is opposite with the Myanmar National League champions in great goalscoring form in recent weeks having scored 16 goals in their past four league matches since suffering a 3-1 defeat at the hands of Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC on Matchday One.
Ivorian forward Moussa Bakayoko did create history for Shan with his fifth minute strike in Vietnam being the first goal in Shopee Cup history.
Shan are currently top of the league table and will come into this match on the back of a 5-1 victory against Yadanarbon FC with Bakayoko once again on target but it was Ye Yint Aung who stole the show netting a hat-trick.
The big news for the club will be in the dugout with Myo Hlaing Win recently departing after being appointed as the new Myanmar national team head coach.
His replacement is 38-year-old Hiroki Ono, with the Japanese having previously held the position of Technical Director at the club.
In other Group A fixtures, BG Pathum host Cambodian champions PKR Svay Rieng FC while Terengganu FC of Malaysia hope to bounce back at home against Vietnamese visitors Thanh Hóa.
PSM Makassar vs Shan United FC
Venue: Batakan Stadium, Balikpapan
Time: September 25, 7:00 PM (Local Time)
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