Persija vs Persib: STY Reveals the Condition of Macan Kemayoran Players Ahead of Facing Maung Bandung

indonesiatravelsport.com - Persija Jakarta will face Persib Bandung while not operating at full physical condition. Persija head coach Shin Tae-yong (STY) revealed his squad are still suffering fatigue following the long round trip to and from Samarinda.

Persija is scheduled to host Persib for the second matchweek of the 2026/27 BRI Super League at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium (SUGBK), Jakarta, on Saturday 12 September at 15.30 WIB.

This fixture comes only days after Persija played an away match against Borneo FC. The Macan Kemayoran squad had to complete the long journey from Jakarta to Samarinda then return back to the capital before facing Persib.

The trip became even more difficult after Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang was temporarily closed due to volcanic ash fall from Mount Anak Krakatau.

"Everyone is exhausted. Me, the players, every single one of us is tired. If even I feel this worn out, just imagine how the players are feeling," stated STY while leading team training at the Persija Training Ground in Depok on Tuesday.

Extended Travel Becomes Core Issue

Persija had already faced disruptions on their initial trip to Samarinda. Their flight schedule suffered delays, lengthening the outbound travel time.

Conditions did not improve for the return journey. From Samarinda, the entire team contingent first had to fly to Balikpapan before taking a connecting flight to Yogyakarta.

Even after arriving in Yogyakarta, the trip was not finished. The players then had to travel the remaining distance back to Jakarta by bus.

This alternate route was implemented after Soekarno-Hatta Airport was temporarily shut down due to the volcanic ash from Mount Anak Krakatau.

With very limited recovery time available, STY must carefully manage his players' condition ahead of this high-profile match against Persib. This comes despite Persija carrying positive momentum, having beaten Borneo FC 1-0 in the first matchweek.

STY Unable To Complete Full Analysis Of Persib

Physical fatigue is not the only obstacle disrupting Persija's preparations. STY also confirmed he has not had enough time to conduct a thorough tactical analysis of Persib's playing style.

Time that would normally be allocated to studying the upcoming opponent was almost entirely consumed by the extended return journey from Samarinda.

"Since we were travelling back to Jakarta the whole time, I could not complete a full proper analysis. I only managed to watch their match briefly at the airport during a rest stop on the trip," explained the South Korean head coach.

Persija holds a poor recent head-to-head record against Persib. Macan Kemayoran have not won any of their last six league meetings, recording four defeats and two draws over this run.

However, STY stated this past record does not accurately reflect Persija's current capabilities.

STY Claims Persija Are Now Far Better Prepared

Persija most recently faced Persib in the semi-final round of the 2026 President's Cup. On that occasion, Persija were defeated by their rivals.

STY has insisted this pre-season fixture should not be used as a benchmark for the two sides' relative strength ahead of this upcoming league match.

He explained Persija's squad was still at the very early stage of pre-season preparation during the President's Cup, and had not reached anywhere near peak match readiness.

"At that time our squad was operating at less than 40-50% of our full capability. We had not even intended to enter that tournament originally, we were supposed to travel to Thailand for a training camp. When the schedule changed last minute we ended up competing with a squad made up mostly of young players," he stated.

The situation is very different now. Persija have completed full pre-season preparations and have an assembled squad ready for competitive league fixtures.

While there are still injured players absent, STY confirmed approximately 80% of his full first team squad is available for selection.

"Right now, even with the injury absences, we have at least 80% of our full squad available. So you can be certain our performance will be far better than what we showed back then," he concluded.