Rhinos, Perak kick off tonight
Sabah head coach Jelius A ng is hoping his charges will perform be er against Perak in the Malaysia Cup first leg semifinal match at the Perak Stadium this evening.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah head coach Jelius Ating is hoping his charges will perform better against Perak in the Malaysia Cup first leg semi-final match at the Perak Stadium this evening.
“We made a few surprises against some Super League teams and to do the same against Perak will require us to perform better.
“They (Perak) are a strong team…they were runners-up in the Super League this season. They are also seven-time winners and 11-time finalists in this competition,” Jelius said when contacted in Perak yesterday.
He added the team’s preparation for the match was going smoothly and that the squad were ready for all challenges including pressure from the home crowd, which will be a big one.
“We must double our efforts and hope that our strategy works. We will do our best to try and match Perak. Anything is possible in football...in fact there could be another surprise from Sabah. We will have to see,” he said.
Jelius said all first-team players except Randy Baruh were available for the tie. Randy is still serving suspension after a red card incident in the first leg quarterfinal match.
Aside from the defender’s absence, Jelius said everything else including the feel in the camp was good.
“The atmosphere is good and all players are in high spirits. And all of them are excited about playing in the semi-final of the Malaysia Cup,” he said.
To get the job done, Jelius is expected to field the same players who ousted Kelantan 1-0 at the Likas Stadium last week.
He will likely stick to Rozaimie Rohim as the main custodian with Rawilson Batuil in defense alongside Francis Kasonde, Alto Linus and Dendy Lowa.
Sabri Sahar will orchestrate from midfield assisted by Azzizan Nordin, Maxsius Musa and Hamran Peter, while Rodoljub Paun ovic and Hector Omar Ramos lead the strike force.
The second leg semi-final match will be held at the Likas Stadium on October 21.