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| Like the first 270 minutes of it, the final Capital Clasico will be another tactical and speedy war between Manila and Makati |
By Kevin Estrada
MANILA -- Tonight's Capital Clasico between Meralco Manila and Kaya Makati will have a lot at stake in a top-of-the-table clash in the PFL.
Saturday's tiff in Rizal Memorial will be the final of the four grueling matches between the two storied clubs in the league, as both clubs are looking to edge each other out as the race to the Finals Series draw closer and closer.
Manila gaffer Aris Caslib was disappointed to travel 12 hours to Vigan and found out that they do not need to get all three points the hard way, but they are coming to the Clasico fresh and ready to pounce on their nemesis who just came home from their shutout win away at Davao.
"Our advantage is we will be fresh. But we have to capitalize on our rest and stop their transition," Caslib told Dugout Philippines Friday evening after the pre-match conference.
But with the place in the postseason already secured for the league-leading capital outfit, the challenge now for the San Beda football legend is to keep all of his wards healthy.
"We just have to make sure that everyone is healthy and is capable in playing for the semifinal," he added, noting that they still have four more matches left to their season, including a pair against Ceres Negros.
For Noel Marcaida, their final tussle with their sworn enemies will be their penultimate match as they only have two chances left to assure themselves of a postseason spot.
"We have to maximize the last two games that we have for the league," said the former Pachanga gaffer who finally won for the first time against the Sparks last September 30.
However he, admits that fatigue will be a factor for them, noting that they will play the last of the three-game stretch in just a week, in contrast to their opponents who will come fresh after their 'vacation' up north.
"It's one factor wherein Meralco has the advantage. But we're also lucky that we played Davao before them. Because what Davao did is they played similar like Meralco's playing. It helped us to adjust in the game, towards the next game," Marcaida concluded.
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