Labasa Eye First League Win
The Labasa football team are leaving no stones unturned as they prepare for their first win in the Digicel Premier League against Navua at Subrail Park at 1pm on Saturday.
Labasa have two draws and a loss on record. They were beaten by Nasinu 2-0, and drew 1-1 against Rewa and Suva.
Babasiga Lions coach, Ravneel Pratap said yesterday they would give their best shot to win against Navua as they must register their first three points.
“Navua are a quality opposition with a good strategic game pattern,” Pratap said.
“They had played really well against Ba last weekend and scored the opening goal. We have to contain their attack,” he said.
“Navua is a tricky side; we have lost against them in the past few league matches.
“They have a good strike force and our very own, Melvin Mani, will pose a threat to our defence so we will have to match their speed and ball play intensity.
“Navua have made improvements in their attacks resulting in them scoring two goals in their last two games.
“Defensively, we are conceding goals which is not good if we want to win games.
“This is an area we always work to improve in after each round.”
Labasa are currently placed ninth with two points while Navua sit a place above them on three points on the DPL points table.
Defender Akeimi Ralulu, who scored the equaliser against Suva, misses out on this match after accumulating two yellow cards.
“There are no injuries at the moment, however, we are accessing Siotame Kubu’s condition.
“We are positive that Kubu recovers on time for the game,” Pratap said.
The no-nonsense coach said they would source inspiration from their Labasa women’s achievement of winning the Digicel Women’s Interdistrict Championship last weekend.
Labasa walloped tournament favourites Ba 4-0 in the final at the ANZ Stadium, Suva.
“Yes, definitely our female counterparts have made Labasa proud winning the IDC and they have set the platform for the men’s team to match that level of success,” he said.
“We request all our fans to have faith in our team and pray for our good performance on Saturday.”
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