Since May 24, the Indonesian team has gathered on Bali, starting the longest training period since Kluivert officially took over as head coach earlier this year.
The team has gone through 10 days of intensive training to prepare for the decisive match in the race in Group C of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Asia.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Indonesia coach Kluivert said: "We have been practicing intensively and have shown a lot of progress. Hopefully they can show those things on the field. I am very confident that the players will perform well in their tactics to achieve the best results".
According to the Dutch strategist, China will choose a strong attacking style of play to seek victory. China currently has 6 points, 3 points behind Indonesia and has an effective goal difference of negative 13 goals, equal to the number of goals scored (6 goals), but must win 3 points to keep hoping for a move on.
Coach Kluivert said he had prepared carefully for the opponent. "I look forward to the players on the pitch and hope to fulfill my promise at the post-match press conference," he said.
Through a thorough study of China's playing style, Kluivert has identified 3 factors that his team needs to pay special attention to. According to him, China is a "quality and cohesive team", possessing "calm" in deploying the game, and having "abundant energy when applying pressure and seizing opportunities in tight spaces". He emphasized: "The players are not to be distracted and have to focus on the match".
In terms of head-to-head history, Indonesia have not won against China since 1987. The last time the two teams met was in the first leg in October 2024 at Thanh Dao Stadium, where Indonesia lost 1-2.
However, in this rematch, the team from the archipelago was motivated by the home crowd as well as a force of many mixed players with experience competing in Europe.
However, Kluivert's team also faced many difficulties in terms of force. Five players will not be able to participate in this match including Sandy Walsh, Ragnar Oratmagoen (due to injury), Eliano Reijnders ( absent due to family matters), Maarten Paes and Marselino Ferdinan (suspended).
The match between Indonesia and China takes place at 8:45 p.m. tonight (June 5, Vietnam time) at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium (Indonesia).
