I

ndonesia, which currently tops Group A, is ready to face Laos
in their second match in the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta on Saturday evening.

The co-host is determined to win the match to help it go through
to the semifinal. However, the team said that it would remain down
to earth despites its lopsided 5-1
victory against Malaysian on Wednesday.

“We won’t look down on Laos. We really need the support of our fans for the upcoming match,” Indonesia assistant coach Wolfgang Pikal said at a press conference Friday in Jakarta.

Pikal said most of his men were fit, but striker Arif Suyono, who scored a goal during Malaysia match, had pulled a muscle.

“But he’s [Arif] fit enough to be on the substitute bench,” he added.

Pikal said Indonesian might play a similar lineup as the first match.

Indonesia acknowledged Laos’ strength after Laos created the first upset of the tournament by holding 2008 AFF Cup runner-up Thailand to a 2-2 draw.

“Laos is not a weak team. Actually, the quality of most national teams in South East Asia is quite similar. So [Indonesia and Laos] are well matched,” he said, adding that his team would pay close attention to the Laos forwards.

The match will be a reunion of sorts for Indonesian head coach Alfred Riedl, who had a six-month stint with the Laos national soccer team.

Laos team coach David Booth said his team was prepared for the match against Indonesia. “Basically we have prepared the same as we did when we were about to face Thailand.”

Booth said he hoped his team would perform as well as in their previous game. “But you never know,” he said.

Commenting on Indonesia’s performance against Malaysia, Booth said he Indonesian was woken up when Malaysia scored a goal early in the game.

“So maybe we should score in
last minute,” Booth joked, adding that all of his men were fit for the game.

Earlier on Saturday, Thailand will meet Malaysia.

Thailand coach Bryan Robson said he saw Malaysia’s strengths and weaknesses in their match against Indonesia.

“We will attack and defend as a unit. We don’t have a clear plan yet, but we will do all out to attack
and try to break down Malaysia,” Robson said.