"We're fearless" says Lae City Dwellers coach

Words: ACFC Media

Tuesday 14 March 2017

AUCKLAND, New Zealand - Lae City Dweller's fearsome strike force is keeping Auckland City FC coach Ramon Tribulietx on his toes.

The Navy Blues got off to a winning start in the OFC Champions League after a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Western United on Saturday.

Tribulietx is hoping to see an improvement after their very close battle with Western United, well aware of the depth of talent in the Lae City Dwellers squad after their 2-1 victory against the Papua New Guinean club in the 2016 OFC Champions League.

“We’ve seen them play before, we played them last year with most of the same players, so we understand these teams that are more focused and developed individually,” he said.

“They’ve got three or four players up front that are one-on-one very good, very fast, so we understand it is going to be very difficult.

“We understand from our last game that if we don’t switch on to 100 per cent, it can turn around nasty, so hopefully we’ve learned our lesson.”

Both Auckland City FC and Lae City Dwellers will be throwing everything into claiming the three crucial points.

After a dominant performance against Malampa Revivors that saw them claim their first win in this competition, Lae City Dwellers coach Peter Gunemba is polishing off certain areas ahead of their big clash with Auckland City, but believes his side is fully capable of defeating the six-time consecutive champions.

“They are the top team in the Oceania region and it’s going to be a big task but we will see how we go against them,” he said.

“We played them last year and we have a fair idea about how they play so we have to adjust ourselves and come up with a plan to counter attack them.

“In the first half I’ll look at the strength of our team and I’ll decide from there what we should do, but at this moment I can tell you that we are not scared, we are prepared to play them.

“I’m actually feeling quite relaxed and I’m looking forward to Wednesday.”

The match kicks off at 4pm on Wednesday 15 March at Centre Park, Mangere.

Ends

Match Details
Auckland City FC vs. Lae City Dwellers
Mangere Centre Park
Auckland, New Zealand
Wednesday 15 March
Kick-off: 16h00
#OFCCL #AUCLAE

Auckland City FC [NZL]

Vital Statistics: Auckland City FC have won the past two editions of the competition undefeated. Their last loss in the OFC Champions League was during the Group Stage of the 2014 edition, where they lost 1-0 to Vanuatu’s Amicale FC.

The Players: Emiliano Tade made a big impact in Auckland City’s opening match when he was subbed on in the 54th minute. The striker was behind the two successful set pieces to win the game, first with a well-placed free kick to set up Darren White for the equaliser, then with an accurate penalty in the 86th minute to win the match 2-1.

Coach Quote: “They’ve got three or four players up front that are one-on-one very good, very fast, so we understand it is going to be very difficult. We understand from our last game that if we don’t switch on to 100 per cent, it can turn around nasty, so hopefully we’ve learned our lesson.”

Auckland City FC: 1.Enaut ZUBIKARAI (GK), 2. Harshae RANIGA, 3. Takuya IWATA, 4. Mario BILEN, 5. Angel BERLANGA, 6. Cam HOWIESON, 7. Reid DRAKE, 8. Albert RIERA, 9. Darren WHITE, 10. Ryan DE VRIES, 11. Fabrizio TAVANO, 13. Alfie ROGERS, 14. Clayton LEWIS, 15. Mario ILICH, 16. Daewook KIM, 18. Danyon DRAKE (GK), 19. Micah LEA’ALAFA, 20. Emiliano TADE, 21. Harry EDGE, 22. Abdullah AL-KALISY, 23. Marko DORDEVIC, 24. Jacob SPOONLEY (GK)

Coach: Ramon Tribulietx (ESP)

Lae City Dwellers [PNG]

Vital Statistics: Lae City Dwellers’ 5-2 win against Malampa Revivors on Saturday was the club’s first ever win in the OFC Champions League. In their 2016 debut, the side’s campaign ended at the close of the group stage after three losses.

The Players: Lae City Dwellers captain and Papua New Guinea national team player Raymond Gunemba is a dominant force on attack. His speed is always an advantage and if he can be more accurate with his chances, he will be lethal.

Coach Quote: “Our next game is big so we need to correct our mistakes over the next few days. Auckland City are the champions of Oceania, so it will be a battle against the giants. We will give our very, very best.”

Lae City Dwellers: 1. Ronald WARISAN (GK), 2. Kenneth PILAILO, 3. Valentine NELSON, 4. Goropaul ALBERT, 5. Mosie MILUBWA, 6. Troy GUNEMBA, 7. Raymond GUNEMBA, 8. Alex KAMEN, 9. George KOREI, 10. Obert BIKA, 11. Adolf NAIDU, 12. Matthew DAVID, 13. John KICHANI, 14. Emmanuel SIMON, 15. Ken KEPE, 16. Japhet TIAMPO, 17. Billson BULLO, 18. Peter DABINYABA JNR, 19. Moses KAMAKENG, 20. Matheson NASA (GK), 21. Kiwa TEPO, 22. George DEBENHAM.

Coach: Peter Gunemba (PNG)