BANDUNG -- Persija Jakarta will face Persita Tangerang at I Gusti Ngurah Rai Stadium, Denpasar, Wednesday (26/1/2022). This will be Persija's first match with their caretaker, Sudirman.

Sudirman took over the vacant head coach position left by Angelo Alessio. In this inaugural match, Sudirman admitted that it was not easy to beat Persita.

"Persita is a team that has aggressive players, both in defense and attack. Of course I instruct my players to reduce their aggressiveness and take maximum advantage of the opportunities," Sudirman said in a press conference ahead of the match, Tuesday (25/1/2022).

Replacing Alessio, continued Sudirman, was not an easy thing. He admitted that he had to make some changes in the team which is now his short-term target.

"What I do is make our players, who have been here for almost a month, to be more fresh , in playing on the field I improve several aspects, especially the mentality of the players," said Sudirman.

Sudirman admits that competition with a bubble system makes the team feel bored faster. In fact, Persija is looking for a way to be able to compete at the top.

"Our target is the top flight and we make every game a final, this makes the players have full motivation to win every game," said Sudirman.