Melbourne Victory A-League Men’s Head Coach, Giovanni Savarese, and Vice-Captain, Tom Lockyer, have addressed the media ahead of the Club’s AFC Champions League Two Group Stage fixture versus Persib Bandung.
The Match Day 3 clash takes place at Si Jalak Harupat Stadium on Wednesday, October 28, kick-off 11:15pm AEDT, with FC Seoul and Thể Công–Viettel facing off in the other Group E contest.
Giovanni Savarese
On playing against Persib:
“We know the team, we have seen them play, we see the quality of the players that the team has. We also have a group of players that are excited to be able to participate in this competition, and we have to manage, like Persib has to manage, a lot of games in a week. So I’m sure that both teams will have rotations the right way in order to be able to compete.”
On the chance to top Group E:
“It’s a big match. It’s an important match for both teams. But the way we’re looking at it as well is that it’s going to be a great experience. We love the fact that Persib will have their fans in the stadium, and we’re looking forward to playing this match and making the best of it.”
Tom Lockyer
On the away match:
“It’s never going to be easy to come away, especially out here where the fans can be so vocal and brilliant, and it’s going to be a difficult game. They are top of the group for obvious reasons, they’re a very good side, and we want to come here and show what we’re about, hopefully, put on a good show and get a result.”
On the vibe in Indonesia:
“They are a team full of really good players – we’ve done our analysis. There’s a lot of players to look out for, but I think for me the 12th man is obviously the fans. We felt it already being in the city only less than 24 hours, being so welcoming, so friendly, a real sense that football means everything to the Indonesian people.”
Watch the full press conference below.
