PANAMA CITY, Panama– There is no doubt that a very motivated Arabe Unido will take the field on Thursday night in its 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League semifinal first leg at Herediano in Heredia, Costa Rica.
Speaking with reporters on Tuesday as the team was departing Panama, Arabe Unido FW Blas Perez said that the Expreso Azul are confident in getting a positive result away from home.
“We are going to Costa Rica with the mentality of getting a good result,” said Perez.
While Arabe Unido has excelled in Concacaf play yet again, things have not gone as planned in domestic play. The Canalero club sits in last place in the Panamanian league table and is winless in its last seven league matches.
With new coach Alfonso de Moya now in the fold, Perez is optimistic that Thursday’s SCL contest can be just the thing to kick-start Arabe Unido’s domestic campaign.
“It’s strange to me that the team is going through this situation. I think it’s one of the worst crises that the club has gone through in years. We are in the bottom and hopefully the Concacaf League will be of motivation,” added Perez.
Experienced defender Roberto Chen also pointed out that Arabe Unido must work hard to limit mistakes against Herediano and then carry that same mentality back into Liga Nacional play.
“The idea is to bring back a good result, but we know it won’t be easy. You have to do a good job and make as few mistakes as possible because these matches are decided on the smallest of details. If we have not won in seven matches it’s because we’re doing something bad. We hope to improve that and springboard for that is the Concacaf League match,” said Chen.