EARLY HEADACHE FOR MANIAM

Selangor coach rues losing four regulars through injury after only one match

SYAFIQ AZNAN syafiq.aznan@nst.com.my

SELANGOR have paid the price for wrecking Kuala Lumpur’s home-coming party on Sunday as P. Maniam’s side could now be without four regulars for their next Super League match against Melaka.

Striker Rufino Segovia scored a brace as Selangor defeated KL 20 in their opening match of the season. KL were hoping for a win on their return to the top-tier of Malaysian football.

Maniam confirmed that Spanish duo Segovia and Alfonso de la Cruz, along with Indonesian forward Ilham Udin Armaiyn and winger Azamuddin Akil are out injured and the quartet may not play against Melaka at the KLFA Football Stadium tomorrow.

“I am having a headache as they are my key players. We have only played one match and already four first choice players are car- rying injuries.

“We will assess their condition and see what happens next. Segovia and Illham are not carrying serious injuries, but I may not risk them for the next match,” said Maniam.

Meanwhile, Singapore midfielder Hariss Harun has warned his Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) teammates to be wary of Perak SEDC when the reigning champions entertain Abu Bakar Fadzim’s side at Larkin Stadium to- day.

“Perak SEDC are a young team with no fear, and they will definitely be aggressive tomorrow. We need to play cautiously as they are probably feeling confident following their surprise 1-0 win over Negri Sembilan.

“Every team wants to beat JDT. We just have to play at a good level and also maintain our consistency,” said Hariss, whose team defeated Kedah 2-1 to win the Charity Cup on Saturday.