Arema Malang
- Arema Malang have been much more positive since the January signings, particularly in wide areas and through the middle.
- Under Brazilian tactician Marcos Santos, Arema have played a more Brazilian style of high-tempo football with a preference for 4-3-3 and a great deal of width.
- Santos has made some astute signings in the January transfer window and this has improved Arema’s output from the midfield and through the centre of the field.
- Recent signings Gabriel ‘Gabi’ Silva and Joel Vinícius Silva dos Anjos have hit the ground running at Arema with the former scoring a brace against Persija in Santos’ new system.
- Silva provides width and creativity alongside Gustavo França, whilst Joel Vinícius has provided immediate power and height in the box, contributing 6-7 goals.
- Arema have had to reorganize their backline after Luiz Gustavo’s season-ending ACL injury with loan signings Hansamu Yama and Rio Fahmi making good cover so far.
Semen Padang
- Semen Padang have struggled to score goals but are defensively organized and more resilient since Dejan Antonic took charge.
- Semen Padang are in their own battle for survival, currently propping up the table between 16th and 17th with just 12-15 points after a similar number of matches.
- Dejan Antonic has done a good job since his appointment in October, making the team tight, compact and hard to break down.
- They have some talent up front, but not much in reserve, so they rely heavily on a small core of attackers to find the net with some clever moves from Antonic to maximize their potential.
- Pedro Matos has been the creative link between defence and attack and Bruno Gomes has been a handful for defenders to manage when they get the ball.
- But, overall, Semen Padang have lacked a real reliable goalscorer and it has cost them.
- Diego Mauricio is the man who gets the ball in the clutch situations and he did so again last weekend with a stoppage time penalty winner against Persita.
- But overall, it was a mixed bag of performances with two wins and three defeats in the last five.
Head-to-Head
This fixture has usually been tight and tense with Arema having the edge in the last three meetings in all competitions (W2, L1) .
Arema Malang
- Recent signings Gabriel ‘Gabi’ Silva and Joel Vinícius Silva dos Anjos have hit the ground running at Arema with the former scoring a brace against Persija in Santos’ new system.
- Silva provides width and creativity alongside Gustavo França, whilst Joel Vinícius has provided immediate power and height in the box, contributing 6-7 goals.
Semen Padang
- Pedro Matos has been the creative link between defence and attack and Bruno Gomes has been a handful for defenders to manage when they get the ball.
- Diego Mauricio is the man who gets the ball in the clutch situations and he did so again last weekend with a stoppage time penalty winner against Persita.
Betting Insights
- The bookies make Arema favourites at 1.9 for Sunday’s encounter with Semen Padang listed as 3.58 outsiders.
- The Over 2.5 goals line looks attractive at 1.74, especially with the humid, warm weather and threat of thunderstorms which can make the pitch slippery and more challenging for defenders to concentrate.
- Antonic is more pragmatic and will set his team up to frustrate Arema before launching quick counters and dangerous set pieces.
Prediction
- If Semen can stick to the gameplan, they could get a result, but our gut feeling is for Arema to win, albeit possibly by a goal.
- Don’t rule out a 1-1 draw if Semen stick to their gameplan and soak up pressure.
