Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s Kuala Lumpur City FC and Indonesia’s Borneo FC Samarinda will both be looking for their second win in the inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ when they meet at the Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur in Group B on Thursday.
Haqimi Azim scored the only goal of the game early in the first half as the Malaysia Super League side edged Filipino champions Kaya FC-Iloilo 1-0 in their tournament opener and Miroslav Kuljanac’s players will hope to make it back-to-back wins in front of their fans on Matchday Two.
Kuala Lumpur returned to league action on September 14 when captain Paulo Josue scored twice in a 5-0 win against Kedah Darul Aman, but suffered a 1-0 defeat at Perak which left them with only one win in their last four matches in Malaysia.
Head coach Kuljanac will once again turn to the club’s new all-time top-scorer Josue for inspiration against Borneo while he will also need the likes of Bosnian winger Jovan Motika and 21-year-old Azim to shine in the attack to build on their winning start.
Kuala Lumpur also have at their disposal Giancarlo Gallifuoco, Declan Lambert and Adrijan Rudovic among others who provide them with ample defensive solidity.
Borneo, on the other hand, have recorded two wins and a draw since their 3-0 win against Lion City Sailors FC of Singapore in their Shopee Cup opener with Leo Gaucho scoring either side of a Berguinho effort at the Batakan Stadium.
Pieter Huistra’s men posted a 2-0 win against Bali United before settling for a 1-1 draw against PSS Sleman. However, they returned to winning ways against Malut United FC on September 17 to climb up to second place in the Liga 1 standings, before another draw with Barito Putera on Monday put them within two points of leaders Persebaya Surabaya.
Gaucho, Mariano Peralta and Stefano Lilipaly will be key players as Borneo look to get the better of Kuala Lumpur as they hunt for silverware domestically in Indonesia and regionally with the Shopee Cup.
In other Group B fixtures on Thursday, Thai League 1 champions Buriram United will look to maintain their perfect start to the Shopee Cup when they face Kaya FC-Iloilo of the Philippines while Công An Hà Nôi FC and Lion City Sailors FC meet at the Hang Day Stadium in Hanoi.
Kuala Lumpur City FC vs Borneo FC Samarinda
Venue: Stadium Bola Sepak Kuala Lumpur
Kick-off: September 26, 9:00 PM (Local Time)
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