SABAH REFRESHED AND READY

Premier League side chase dream semis spot

PREMIER League side Sabah hope to continue their fairy tale run in the Malaysia Cup as they aim to qualify for the semi-finals for the first time in 11 years.

Jelius Ating’s side, who surprisingly topped Group D, play Kelantan in the quarter-finals with the east coast side hosting the first leg in Kota Baru today.

Sabah’s run in the Malaysia Cup has surprised many as they finished only sixth in the Premier League this season.

The three-time runners-up are confident that they can beat Kelantan for a semi-final spot.

In their last semi-final appearance, they were edged 3-2 on aggregate by Perak in the 2007 edition.

Sabah are a team with an ambition and they hope for a favourable result in Kota Baru.

The return leg is in Kota Kinabalu on Sept 29.

“We have analysed Kelantan’s strategies and players. They are hard working and play very well as a formidable unit. There are no stars in their team.

“My players need to be cautious as the young Kelantan players play with pace and can perform consistently throughout a match,” said Jelius yesterday.

Jelius, who guided Sabah to the quarter-finals in 2011 before failing to qualify for the Malaysia Cup for six straight seasons, said the team are prepared although training sessions were limited due to the schedule.

“We only had full training sessions yesterday and the day before. It was because our final group match (against Pahang) was on Monday.

“However, I made use of the sessions by prioritising strategies and the players responded well to them.

“Our leading scorer (in the Malaysia Cup) Hector Ramos has returned to the club after being away for international duty with Puerto Rico as well as Hamran Peter who represented Sabah’s junior side in the Malaysia Games,” said Jelius, adding that all his regulars are free from injuries.

Sabah’s regulars will be fresh for the first leg as seven of them were rested in their final group game against Pahang on Monday. Among those available for today’s match are goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim, captain Rawilson Batuil, Francis Kasonde, Randy Baruh, Alto Linus, Azzizan Nordin, Sabri Sahar, Maxsius Musa and Hamran.

Ramos and Serbian Rodoljub Paunovic are expected to regain their spots in attack.

Meanwhile, Terengganu defeated Felda 2-1 in a quarter-final first leg match at the Tun Abdul Razak Stadium in Jengka yesterday.