Piala Presiden 2026: Tavares Has Not Thought About Semi-Final Opponents Yet, He Is Fully Focused on Preparing to Face Port FC

Persebaya Surabaya has secured their ticket to the 2026 President's Cup semifinals, but head coach Bernardo Tavares is not yet willing to discuss the team's chances against potential future opponents for the Bajul Ijo squad. The Portuguese tactician has chosen to focus entirely on completing Group B's final match against Port FC first.

The Green Force will face the Thai representative on Group B's final matchday at Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, on Saturday evening 1 August. This fixture will not only determine the group winner but also set the full matchup structure for the semifinal round.

Persebaya heads into this fixture after recording back-to-back wins in their opening two matches. Victories over Persija Jakarta and PSMS Medan have earned Bajul Ijo six points, locking in their semifinal qualification ahead of schedule.

Despite already progressing, Tavares confirmed his side will not relax their focus. He stated the clash against Port FC still carries significant meaning, both for final group standings and to continue the team's development process ahead of the official competitive season.

"Right now our full focus shifts to the match against Port FC. They are a strong team, and we will need to properly analyse their strengths," stated Tavares.

Port FC remains in contention for the Group B title. The Thai club has collected four points so far, following a win against PSMS Medan and a draw against Persija Jakarta.

This context sets up a high-stakes encounter at Gelora Bung Tomo. Persebaya only requires a single draw to retain top position in the group, while Port FC must secure a victory if they wish to claim the group winner status.

"This match will decide if we finish as group winners or runners-up. However, our first priority right now is completing the player recovery process," he confirmed.

He added that the President's Cup provides the coaching team with an opportunity to evaluate player capabilities across different match situations.

"As this is still the pre-season phase, we also want to observe several players in different positions. Unfortunately, the congested match schedule means we do not have much time available for training sessions," he concluded.