KL EAGER TO SEAL SUPER LEAGUE RETURN
Coach Maciel does not want to wait a month for the last game
DEVINDER SINGH devinder@nst.com.my
KUALA Lumpur hope to get the job done tomorrow and seal promotion to the Super League rather than be kept waiting for a whole month before playing the season’s last Premier League game.
Following the mid-week penultimate round of matches, teams will have to wait four weeks before playing their final fixture due to the Malaysia Cup semi-finals and the international break taking place in between.
It would certainly prove to be a frustrating wait for both KL and Terengganu, who are sitting first and second respectively in the Premier League standings with 44 points, if they fail to beat Sabah and Police respectively tomorrow.
A win for either team will guarantee a top-two finish and leave third-placed Perak SEDC, who trail by four points, unable to catch them.
While knowing victory at the Selayang Stadium tomorrow would end their five-year exile from the top-flight, KL coach Fabio Maciel is not taking anything for granted after Sabah hammered Perlis 5-1 in their last outing.
KL needed a stoppage-time penalty from Guilherme De Paula to edge Universiti Teknologi Mara 2-1 and Maciel fears Sabah may make life just as difficult for his side.
“I knew that UiTM would be a tough game,” said Maciel. “People think it is easy to play teams below us in the league but it is more difficult. Why?
“Because they don’t have anything to lose. They can’t be relegated and they can’t be champions. So they play easy, if they make mistake it does not matter.”
KL’s last match is against Darul Ta’zim II in Pasir Gudang on Oct 27 but Maciel does not want to leave it until then to settle the promotion question.
“For us and Terengganu if we win the next game then we are promoted,” said Maciel, who has lost just one of 12 league games since taking over as KL coach in April.
“But until the last minute we cannot say what is going to happen. From the first day I came here I told the players we have to go game by game and respect the opponent.
“That is why we are in good moment because we respect all teams whether they are first or last. We know our responsibility and what we have to do. This is our target and we have a great chance in our hand.”
Kuala Lumpur FA general secretary Nokman Mustafa urged the city team’s fans to turn out in full force to spur KL on.
“This is our last home match and we hope they can come in big numbers to show the team their support,” said Nokman as KL bid to return to the Super League for the first time since 2012.