Jelius wants nothing less than three points
Sabah Tambadaus are banking on their defensive play to try and win the Permeir League match against Penang at the Likas Stadium, this evening.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Tambadaus are banking on their defensive play to try and win the Permeir League match against Penang at the Likas Stadium, this evening.
Local stalwart Mafry Balang will lead the backline as the host team take on their mid-table visitors without the services of an import defender.
The Tambadaus are entering the match without Park Tae Su as the Korean serves a one-match suspension after picking up a third yellow card, recently.
“Mafry is our main choice to replace Park and I believe his experience as a senior player will help him do the job well.
“We have been training without Park and fortunately his absence presented no issue. We train without putting heavy reliance on any one player. For that reason, I am confident in the ability that all of them posses,” Jelius said when contacted here yesterday
The strength of the team is in the players' ability to work together and aside from Mafry, no other changes will be made as Jelius retains his first-11 squad.
This includes Brazilian striker Luis Carlos Junior who recently made a full recovery from a thigh injury to rejoin the team for this encounter.
Mafry, 35, is expected to pair with skipper Rawilson Batuil in the main defence, while Randy Baruh Samson and Dendy Lowa assist at left and right.
The tasks in midfield fall on Mohd Azizan Nordin and Sabri Sahar, while Maxsius Musa takes the flank with Luka Milunovic in a slightly forward position.
Rodoljub Paunovic and Luis Carlos will lead the attack, while Rozaimie Rohim is expected to retain his position as the main custodian.
Meanwhile, Jelius anticipated strong challenges from the seventh-spot visitors. His squad are expected to overcome the opponent by living up to their billing as title contenders.
For the record, Sabah are second in the standings behind leaders Johor Darul Ta'zim II.
“It is still a long way before the end of the season which means that rivalry between teams is still rife. Other teams would have capitalised on the three-week break to strengthen their game.
“I would not be surprised if teams in the lower half of the table start showing stark improvement,” he said.
The friendly matches recently against Super League teams Melaka United and Selangor PKNS helped the Tambadaus to maintain momentum and Jelius hoped it would be another three points for them this evening.
Sabah lost their first match of the season but bounced back to remain undefeated in five matches.
Their record of three wins and one draw puts them in contention for the title. Only two points separate them from leaders JDT II (who are on 13 points).
Meanwhile, tickets for the match are priced at RM25 and RM15 and will be on sale at the Likas Stadium beginning 10am today.