PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim winger Arif Aiman Hanapi (pic) is a man on a mission.
The 21-year-old wants to show that Malaysian players are capable of performing on the biggest stage in Asia when they take on Thai club BG Pathum United in their final Group I match in the AFC Champions League at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri today.
JDT’s goal of getting to the knockout stages of the league has been dashed but they look forward to ending their campaign in the continental stage with a win.
Arif had scored two goals to help JDT beat BG Pathum 4-2 at the Leo Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand on Oct 3 and he is ready to sizzle again.
“I want to prove that local players have high standards and can play in top competitions like the AFC Champions League. I want to see every local do good and be on the same level with foreign players,” said Arif during the pre-match press conference yesterday.“I know the game against BG would be tough because they know how we play. They may have one or two men on me but I’m focused to help JDT win.”
Coach Esteban Solari said JDT’s move to expose youngsters at highest level was paying off.
“We have given youngsters a chance to showcase talents in the team. Arif has taken that responsibility. He shows character and good mentality,” said Solari.
JDT are in third spot with six points from five matches.
Japanese club Kawasaki Frontale have topped the group with 15 points, while South Korean team Ulsan Hyundai are second with nine points.
Even if JDT end the campaign on equal points with Ulsan, they will not go through as the latter have a better head-to-head record compared to JDT.
BG Pathum United have not recorded a single win in the group but in the domestic scene, they are on a roll, currently on a five-game winning run in all competitions.
Assistant coach Surachai Jaturapattarapong said,” Malaysia have several key players like Heberty (Fernandes), who is a Thai League legend and Bergson (Da Silva). But their treasure is number 42 (Arif).
“Teams struggled to beat JDT at their den but we will try our best to get three points against them.”
