By Lester J Bingkasan
Rhinos eye back-to-back win
KOTA KINABALU: Jelius Ating demanded consistency from his players as the Sabah head coach eyes maximum points in their next two Premier League fixtures.
And it will start with the MISCMIFA tie at the Likas Stadium tonight where the Rhinos hope to register a first back-to-back win of the current campaign.
The other game will be against Johor Darul Takzim II (JDT II) here on July 25.
Speaking on the eve of the MISCMIFA game, Jelius admitted he has been frustrated by the squad inconsistency that has been holding them back from improving on their league standings.
“I’ve reminded the players of their ‘yo-yo’ performance and it needs to stop. I’ve talked to the players to give them motivation and encouragement... hopefully the team will show the same quality against UiTM FC last week.
“We won against UiTM (1-0) away and we must maintain the winning momentum when we take on MISCMIFA.
“Furthermore we are playing at home and we must take full advantage of it to register three points.
“Hopefully we will be able to take the six maximum points in our two home games,” he said here yesterday.
Sabah will go into today’s game ranked eighth in the 12-team league on 17 points and should fancy their chances against MISC-MIFA who are bottom of the table on eight points.
However, Jelius was quick to warn his players not to underestimate their lowly opponents but to give it their utmost best on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Jelius said he might send an unchanged side from the one that edged UiTM FC in their last outing.
He said his only worry was Maxsius Musa who is racing against time to be fit for the MISCMIFA clash.
“Maxsius recovered from ankle injury to start in our last game but he asked to be subbed off in the second half as he felt something on the same ankle.
“We will have to further assess his condition before deciding and if he is unable to play, Ummareng Bacok will start the game.
“The rest of the squad will remain unchanged and hopefully this will help keep our winning momentum,” added Jelius who said South Korean defensive midfielder will sit out his second straight game due to injury.
Sabah probable line-up is set to feature Rozaimie Rohim in between the posts while Rawilson Batuil, former Zambia international Fancis Kasonde, Alto Linus and Dendy Lowa will form the back four.
Mohd Azzizan Nordin will play at the base of midfield with either Ummareng or Maxsius slotting into a three-man attacking midfield with Sabri Sahar and South Korean Lee Gil Hoon.
Serbian striker Rodoljub Paunovic, who scored the winning goal against UiTM FC, will be the striker-in-chief.
For the record, Sabah lost to MISCMIFA 1-3 in the first round meeting that eventually sealed the fate of French head coach Steve Vilmiaire who was replaced by Jelius.