Quoted from the official I.League website, Friday, Tavares assessed that Malut United's strength lies not only in its foreign players, but also in the support of experienced local players.
"Malut United will be a tough team, because if we analyze them, we see experienced players like Tyronne, Ciro, Yakob, Yance. They have a lot of experienced players, and they also have good local players," said Tavares.
In addition, Tavares also said that Persebaya Surabaya is currently in an underdog position because it has never tasted victory when meeting Malut United.
In the 2024/2025 season, Persebaya Surabaya met Malut United twice, losing 0-2 and then drawing 0-0 in the second round.
"We have to be humble and realize that we're playing against Malut United. Persebaya has never won against Malut United. So, they're in prime form. They're the team that rarely loses," said Tavares.
