Sabah-S’wak clash tonight
Sabah will deploy a new forma on to extend its unbeaten run when they host Sarawak in the Premier League match at the Likas Stadium tonight (8.15pm).
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will deploy a new formation to extend its unbeaten run when they host Sarawak in the Premier League match at the Likas Stadium tonight (8.15pm).
Head coach of the State football senior squad Jelius Ating said his squad will take on a 3-5-2 formation in this Borneo derby clash, as opposed to the 4-4-2 which yielded two wins and one draw previously.
“This is not a case of wanting to experiment. I chose this formation because the players are compatible with it and it is suitable with the presence of Francis Kasonde (new import defender).
“We want more control in the centre and using this formation allows us to defend stronger and be more dangerous when attacking too,” Jelius said when contacted yesterday.
He said Kasonde would lead the back line with Mafry Balang and Rawilson Batuil.
Two other defenders previously were Randy Baruh and Jenius Karib. The new formation will see Randy start from the bench while Jenius is deployed in midfield with Heo Jaenyong, Mohd Azizan Nordin, Sabri Sahar and Maxsius Musa.
“Incidentally, Randy suffered a groin injury two days ago but it is not serious so he might be with us on the bench,” said Jelius.
In addition to replacing Randy with Kasonde, Jelius hinted at retaining his starting line-up which will include Robson Rendy Rining as custodian as Lee Gil Hoon is paired with Hector Ramos in the attack.
The match is an important one as it determines which of the two Borneo sides has the stronger representation in the Malaysian Premier League.
It will be the 14th league meeting since 2000 and the record favours Sabah slightly with four wins, six draws and three defeats, while Sarawak has three wins and four losses.
However, the last two meetings saw Sarawak win 2-1 at the Likas Stadium after a goalless draw in the first round game of the 2013 season.
After that, both teams faced different challenges as Sarawak moved up to the Super League the following year until last season.
Sarawak’s relegation has renewed their rivalry with Sabah, who have struggled in the Premier League for the last six seasons.
However, results from the first three matches this year have seen Sabah start better than the neighbouring state. Sabah is currently second in the standings with seven points while Sarawak is sixth with four.