Tickets for the round three O-League match against Solomon Island side Koloale went on sale earlier this week, with only 350 on offer for the main grand stand and 4000 available in the other stand.
Many of those tickets have been snapped up quickly and the game is likely to be a sell out.
The clash is the subject of so much interest because this is Amicale’s debut season in the O-League and the Koloale match is the club’s first at home.
The newcomers have started their O-League journey brightly with a 2-1 win over defending champions Hekari United and a narrow 1-0 loss against Lautoka in their two matches.
They are equal on points with Hekari and have the chance to draw level with Group A leaders Lautoka if they can beat Koloale.
Coach William Malas and his charges will fancy their chances of defeating the Solomon Islanders, who are propping up the group table after failing to earn a point so far.
Amicale are in good form domestically and posted a 3-0 win over Shepherds United in the TVL Premier last week to maintain their unbeaten record in that league.
The Koloale match will be a special occassion for many of the Amicale players as the squad includes eight members who hail from the Solomon Islands – Richard Anisua, Nelson Sale, Batram Suri, Gibson Daudau, Moffat Deramoa, Alick Maemae, Jack Wetney and Stanley Waita.
If they can get one over their countrymen, the Vanuatu side will then be in a strong position as Hekari and Lautoka are not in action this week. The pair had been scheduled to meet in an intriguing clash on Saturday but that match has been postponed until January 15 due to Hekari’s involvement in the FIFA Club World Cup UAE 2010, which takes place in Abu Dhabi from December 8 to 14.
Amicale vice-president Andrew Leong was disappointed to see his players fall to a defeat in their last O-League outing against Lautoka and believes their lack of accuracy in front of goal was the main reason for the loss.
“They created a lot of chances but they missed so many goals and, in football, if you miss a good chance then you often do not get a second one,” he says.
Leong thinks the team can put that right this weekend.
“If our players are fit and up to speed, they will be able to put even more goals against their opponent,” he says. “It is down to our coaches to help the players move on and play well. If they win it will be good news for the club.”
The vice-president is aware that the struggling Solomon side will be difficult opponents, though.
“Koloale are a good team and they have some very good players, including their captain Bejamin Totori. We respect them a lot.”