The Fiji Times

Blues ready for action

- By JOHN CHETTY

FANS and football enthusiast­s have something to look forward to this weekend when Lautoka hosts Navua at Churchill Park for round two of the Digicel Premier League.

While there is a lot of hype about the match, Lautok’s head coach Babs Khan acknowledg­ed there are areas the team needs to work on but expressed confidence in his team’s readiness to take on Navua.

“Looking at our previous match against Nasinu, the team has a few areas to work on mainly in our finishing and more on defence before we face the Navua side,” said Khan.

One player to watch out for is 18-year-old Isikeli Gavidi, a former Fiji Team U17 player who played a vital role in the side’s win over Nasinu last weekend.

“Playing in round one of the Digicel Fiji Premier League competitio­n wasn’t easy, especially after playing four intense OFC play-offs in the past few weeks,” Khan said.

“The four games we played were high intensity, two games against Ba and two games against Rewa, and playing at 11am here is not easy, the heat is the main factor.”

For the upcoming match against Navua, the coach highlighte­d the need for further improvemen­t while also drawing on the positives from their previous victory.

“Our first match helped us take note of our weaknesses, and we have been working on this throughout the week, so the boys are ready to take on Navua on Sunday,” he quipped.

Lautoka is determined to put on a strong performanc­e and will be looking to secure their second win of the tournament.

The two sides will battle it out at 3pm this Sunday.

In other DPL matches, Nadroga plays Labasa at Lawaqa Park while Nadi hosts Nasinu at Prince Charles Park.

Tournament giants Ba will host Tailevu/ Naitasiri at their Fiji Football Associatio­n Academy grounds.

 ?? Picture: FIJI FA ?? Members of the Lautoka FC pose for a picture before their opening match against Nasinu at the Uprising Sports Center in Pacific Harbour. The side defeated Nasinu 4-2.
Picture: FIJI FA Members of the Lautoka FC pose for a picture before their opening match against Nasinu at the Uprising Sports Center in Pacific Harbour. The side defeated Nasinu 4-2.

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