Kaya vs Bali United

Stadion Kapten I Wayan Dipta is the venue as Kaya and Bali United go head-to-head in a high-stakes AFC Cup Group G match-up.

Only two matchdays into the new AFC Cup season, Kaya are already on the verge of waving goodbye to Asia’s second-tier competition. After surrendering a 1-0 halftime lead in a 2-1 home loss to Visakha in their Group G curtain-raiser, they suffered an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Kedah last time out. Zero points from the opening two matches leave the ‘Mighty Kaya’ with a mountain to climb in the remainder of the group phase. However, signs are ominous, as Yu Hoshide’s men have lost their last four continental fixtures at home via an aggregate score of 11-1. They can at least draw some confidence from winning three of their four previous competitive home matches ‘to nil’ (L1).

In the meantime, Bali United’s Group G campaign got off to a flying start as they pulled off a comfortable 2-0 home triumph over Kedah. But they failed to build on that success, succumbing to a humiliating 5-2 away defeat to Visakha last time out. Margins for error are thin as they head into proceedings trailing section-leaders Visakha by three points. But the ‘Tridatu Warriors’ have experienced a dramatic dip in away form ahead of the kick-off. After stringing together eight consecutive games on hostile turf, they’ve gone winless on back-to-back road trips (D1, L1) despite scoring first on both occasions. On a more positive note, Stefano Cugurra’s men have netted in all 11 competitive away matches in 2022.