Bali: Group A of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ is set for a thrilling climax as PSM Makassar is set to host Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC with semi-final hopes on the line at the Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium on Wednesday.
Both teams are in search of a win with PSM level on points with second-placed Terengganu FC while Thanh Hóa are a point further adrift in fourth place.
PSM suffered a narrow 1-0 loss to Terengganu last time out which enabled the Malaysian side to overtake them in an extremely tight Group A.
Bernardo Tavares’ side haven’t been in good form of late, being winless in their last four matches in all competitions including Liga 1 defeats to Dewa United and Persib Bandung in their most recent fixtures.
PSM’s last meeting against a Vietnamese club also took place at the same venue during the 2023-24 AFC Cup when Yakob Sayuri’s equaliser helped them rescue a 1-1 draw versus Haiphong.
On the other hand, Thanh Hóa played out a 0-0 stalemate against PKR Svay Rieng FC in their previous fixture and have had their full focus on this match against PSM after that.
Despite being out of V.League 1 action, Thanh Hóa still hold a one-point lead over Nam Dinh FC at the top of the league table having made an impressive start to their domestic campaign.
Thanh Hóa were beaten 3-1 by Bali United in their previous trip to Bali back in the 2018 AFC Cup group stage as the Vietnamese side will hope for a better fortune this time round.
Luiz Antonio and Nermin Haljeta will be the key players for both sides, with two goals each in the Shopee Cup making them the top scorers of their respective teams so far as the stage is set for a key battle in the race to the semi-finals.
PSM Makassar vs Đông Á Thanh Hóa FC
Venue: Kapten I Wayan Dipta Stadium, Bali
Kick-off: 5 February, 8:30 PM (Local Time)
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