HEREDIA, Costa Rica – Arabe Unido will be out to get a positive result versus Herediano in the first leg of their 2018 Scotiabank Concacaf League semifinal series.
Speaking with Radio Colombia on Wednesday, Arabe Unido Head Coach Alfonso De La Moya expressed his optimism at coming away with a draw or win from Thursday’s contest at the Estadio Eladio Rosabal Cordero in Heredia.
“We come in with the full hope of getting a good result here in Costa Rica,” said De La Moya.
“It is very important to get a good result so that we can be more tranquility at home [in the second leg],” added De La Moya.
The two teams arrive into the match under similar circumstances, having made coaching changes in the last week.
“Herediano is going through a situation similar to ours. It should be a good contest, each one has to contribute and get the most out of each one of their players,” said De La Moya.
A year after falling to Santos de Guapiles in the 2017 SCL semifinals, Arabe Unido hopes that the experience of last season will help this time around.
“The experience is one of the biggest things about this team. The team has had plenty of international battles and we have to take advantage of that experience,” said De La Moya.
A year after both Arabe Unido and Plaza Amador reached the final four of the 2017 SCL, Arabe Unido is joined by another Panamanian club, Tauro FC, in this season’s semifinals.
Suffice to say, the SCL is a very important tournament within Panamanian football.
“The Panamanian teams have done very well in this tournament, which is a very important tournament for Panamanian clubs,” concluded De La Moya.