Persib Vs Arema FC: Maung Bandung are missing 7 national team players, Igor Tolic remains optimistic.

Persib Bandung will begin their 2026 President's Cup campaign against Arema FC in the opening match for Group A. Seven players from the Maung Bandung squad are officially ruled out, as they have been called up to the Indonesia national team for preparations ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Hyundai Cup, also referred to as the 2026 AFF Cup.

The absent players are Sandy Walsh, Eliano Reijnders, Thom Haye, Saddil Ramdani, Beckham Putra Nugraha, Ragnar Oratmangoen, and Marc Klok.

Despite missing multiple core squad members, head coach Igor Tolic confirmed Persib have completed full preparations for the tournament.

"We have prepared everything to the best standard possible during training for this President's Cup, even while we remain without several of our players," stated Tolic during the official 2026 President's Cup press conference held in Bandung.

Alongside the national team absentees, Persib will also be unable to field their new signing Mariano Peralta. The former Borneo FC striker has not yet reported to the squad and has not participated in any joint training sessions.

"We are still awaiting his [Mariano Peralta] arrival. Once he joins the team we will assess his condition. It is very likely he will only be available for the following matches, not this opening fixture," he explained.

Persib Bandung midfielder Adam Alis stated this pre-season tournament will provide valuable opportunity for the Maung Bandung squad to build team cohesion, especially following the arrival of multiple new players.

"Pre-season tournaments like this form part of our preparations ahead of the regular league season. We hope through this period we can become more compact and fully ready as a unit," he commented.

Persib has been drawn in Group A alongside Arema FC, Tampines Rovers (Singapore), and DPMM FC (Brunei Darussalam). The opening fixture against Arema FC will be hosted at the Si Jalak Harupat Stadium, Bandung Regency, West Java, on Saturday 25 July, with kickoff scheduled for 18.30 WIB.

This match will act as the first major test for Igor Tolic to evaluate Persib's squad depth. With multiple first choice players unavailable, the fixture opens up the chance for other squad members to demonstrate their quality and compete for starting positions ahead of the 2026/2027 Super League season.

Reporter: Syafira