JDT face must-win situation against Vietnam side

PETALING JAYA: It’s do or die for Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) when they take on Song Lam Nghe An of Vietnam in their final AFC Cup Group H match at the Larkin Stadium tonight.

Both Persija of Indonesia and Song Lam top the group with 10 points each and are in the driver’s seat to advance to the Asean zone semi-finals.

JDT who are third in the group with seven points need to beat Song Lam with a high scoreline to have a chance to reach the zonal semi-finals.

The 2015 AFC Cup champions found themselves in hot water after suffering a 4-0 loss to Persija in Jakarta on April 10 and are looking at the possibility of failing to get past the knockout stage for the first time since 2015.

The Southern Tigers have an uphill task to bounce back after their 52-match unbeaten streak came to an end in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Pahang in Larkin last Friday.

JDT coach Raul Longhi said he is confident that his side can advance to the zonal semi-finals and they have moved on from the Pahang defeat.

“We need to win and we want to play good football.

“We’ll probably change some of the players for this game because we have another game against Kelantan in the Super League on Saturday,” said Longhi in the prematch press conference yesterday.

“Song Lam is a good team, well organised and their counter- attacking moves are good because they have fast players.

“We have to win and score five goals – it’s hard but why not ... in football anything can happen.

“We will try to play possession-based attacking game but it all depends on the condition of the pitch for the match.”