Lautoka departs for Vanuatu on Friday morning via Brisbane knowing the task at hand as they are still in the running for a spot in the O-League final.
The Western based side is coming off a 2-0 loss to Ba in the final of the Radio Apna Cup in New Zealand last Sunday.
Coach Gurjit Singh says they need to step to survive in the O-League. He adds that the odds are stacked against them which cannot be an excuse.
In their bid for glory coach Gurjit Singh says they will be joined by four of their overseas based players which are Adam Belcaid, Mohammed Mansaray, Ali Cem and Yavuz Ekinci. In their second O-League season Lautoka are also yet to lose an away game and this might be a perfect inspiration.
“Travelling to Vanuatu will be very hard for us. We leave early Friday morning for Vanuatu via Brisbane and reach our destination at 10.30pm. Lautoka will have less time to rest and regroup with the match just next day.
“We have named four overseas based players. The inclusion of Ali Cem is set to boost our goal keeping which is one area which we have lacked in this season. The only problem that I see is that the overseas and local players have not played together before,” he said
The former Navua coach adds that Amicale who share pole position in group A with Lautoka will be a tough nut to crack at home.
“Amicale will be very tough to beat at home and at the same time they will have the crowd support. We cannot afford to lose this match at any cost and afford to make silly mistakes that cost us our recent matches,” Singh said.
Amicale plays Lautoka 5pm Fiji Time this Saturday
Fiji FA MEDIA
Lautoka focused on Amicale
