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Teams that win league titles at a canter normally do not rely on hope.

When Indonesian Super League winner Persipura Jayapura takes the field at 7 p.m. on Sunday, though, it will do so hoping the old adage “third time lucky” applies.

The Black Pearls will contest their third consecutive Copa Indonesia final when they meet Sriwijaya FC at Gelora Sriwijaya Stadium in Palembang, South Sumatra. That success has been fruitless so far, though, having lost their first two to Arema Malang and Sriwijaya.

Arema won the 2007 final 2-0, and Sriwijaya won in a penalty shootout to complete Indonesia’s first league and cup double last season.

For Persipura defender Bhio Pauline Pierre, Sunday represents the ideal opportunity to gain revenge and join Sriwijaya in the Indonesian history books.

“I don’t want us to fail again. Last year’s failure really hurts and we want the trophy now,” the Cameroonian said. “We are highly motivated and come here to win. We want to do the double.”

Persipura enjoyed a good record against Sriwijaya during league play, winning 4-1 at home in Jayapura, Papua, on June 10 and drawing 2-2 in Palembang on July 12.

The cup holders will have the edge in support, though. Persipura fans must traverse nearly 4,000 kilometers to get from Jayapura to Palembang and spend almost Rp 14 million on plane tickets to reach the final.

“Sriwijaya has the psychological advantage, but I told the boys not to be bothered by that,” Persipura coach Jacksen Tiago said. “We’ve already come this far and there’s no turning back.”

He also said his team was taking time out of training to practice its spot kicks should the final go to a shootout again.

One problem for the Papuans will be the absence of striker Alberto Goncalves, who is suspended due to yellow-card accumulation. Goncalves finished third in the Super League scoring chart with 23 goals and has four tallies in the Copa.

Sriwijaya, meanwhile, must defend its Copa title if it wants to return to Asian competition. It finished fifth in the Super League, well out of continental contention, and was fourth in its AFC Champions League group, salvaging some pride by beating China’s Shandong Luneng 4-2 in its final match.

Victory would put Sriwijaya in the second-tier AFC Cup, and technical director Hendri Zainuddin said he liked his club’s chances.

“First, because we will play in front of our home crowd. And also, our performances are getting better,” Hendri said. “We want to win the title for the South Sumatra people while also showing an entertaining game for football fans.”

While Persipura must do without Goncalves, Sriwijaya lost starting left back Isnan Ali, also to yellow-card accumulation. Sriwijaya coach Rahmad Darmawan said he expected Slamet Riyadi to fill in ably.

In addition to returning to continental action, Sriwijaya players also have tangible incentives to win. Club management awarded the squad a Rp 760 million cash bonus after reaching the final, and Hendri said the club would give 70 percent of the Rp 2 billion prize money to the players if they won on Sunday.

The day’s festivities will also include a third-place match between Persijap Jepara and Deltras Sidoarjo. There will also be a lavish opening ceremony, and legendary Indonesian rock band God Bless will perform at halftime of the cup final.

JG, Antara