It would be a more defensive approach taken by Samoa when they face Fiji on Wednesday night in their second game of the Oceania Nations Cup in Suva.

Samoa suffered a 2-0 defeat to Tahiti in their opening game last week. This match would be a must-win, if the team wants to make it to the semi-finals of the tournament.

Head coach Ryan Stewart said they made too many mistakes in their first game.

“There were too many mistakes and we gave up possession too easily. Tahiti capitalised on that,” he told the Samoa Observer.

“In the second half, we were much better. We kept the ball longer and we created chances.”

Samoa will also face the huge home crowd backing Fiji. The home side needs a win to book a place for the semi-final. The coach is well aware of the situation they are in.

“Fiji is a strong team and definitely our approach to the game has to be different. We will have a more defensive approach,” Stewart said.

“We will create opportunities and hopefully score goals. We will try to frustrate Fiji as much as we can and hit them on the breaks.”

Samoa has also lost two key players who are now out of the tournament. Kaleb De Groot-Green has been ruled out because of a concussion and Greg Siamoa due to a hamstring injury.

Stewart believes this will allow two emerging players to show that they got.

Pool A matches for the Nation’s Cup are being played in Vanuatu while Fiji hosts the Pool B games.

In Pool A, Vanuatu leads with three points after a 1-0 win over Solomon Islands. New Zealand has yet to play a game.

In Pool B, Fiji and Tahiti have three points each while Papua New Guinea and Samoa are yet to register any wins.

Samoa takes on Fiji at 5 pm Samoa time on Wednesday 18 June.