RANS Nusantara vs Borneo

High-flying Indonesian Liga 1 leaders Borneo head to the Pakansari Stadium to encounter bottom-half strugglers RANS Nusantara.

RANS Nusantara pulled off an outstanding second-half comeback, turning a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 home victory against Bhayangkara Solo last time out to end a poor run of four winless Liga 1 matches (D2, L2). Still stuck in the lower reaches, the hosts can ill-afford to get complacent, with only one point separating them from the relegation zone at the start of this round. But playing at home comes in handy, considering the ‘Prestige Phoneix’ haven’t lost any of their last four home league outings (W2, D2) despite conceding precisely once on each occasion. Nusantara’s defensive frailties have seen Rahmad Darmawan’s men fail to keep a clean sheet in all seven top-flight matches on home turf this season.

In the meantime, Borneo ran riot in their top-table six-pointer at Bali United last time out, overcoming an early second-half deficit to thrash their fellow title hopefuls 3-1 on the road and make it three league matches without losing (W2, D1). After going winless on three consecutive top-flight travels, the visitors have won the last two in a row via a two-goal margin, averaging a resounding 3.5 goals per game. Another win is a must for the ‘Our Dolphin’ as they enter this round level on points with second-placed Bali United. But like their hosts, Andre Gaspar’s men have struggled defensively, especially on the road, where they’ve yet to register a single shutout this season, all competitions included.