Unchanged side likely as junior Rhinos face Pahang

KOTA KINABALU: The Junior Rhinos are set to feature an unchanged side when they take on Pahang in Group A of the President Cup tie at Temerloh Municipal Council Stadium today.

Team manager Mohd Yassin Aman said the team under head coach Johnny Dominicus did well to secure victory in the first game thus retaining the same set of players were “very likely’.

“The team played well (in the 1-0 win) against Kedah last week and very likely we will start with the same squad.

“However we will have a further look at the players during training later today (yesterday)...we have just got here (on Saturday) and we will assess the players’ condition,” he said.

If all goes well, the squad will again feature five players roped from the senior team to face Pahang.

They are Stanley Sulong who scored the winning goal last week, Hamran Peter, Mohd Aidil Safee, Evan Wensley Wenceslaus and goalkeeper Sakri Masri.

The rest of the starting lineup should also feature captain Muhammad Zaki Sapri, Kelvin Pengiran, Ranilson Batuil, Mohd Hizaz Lokman, Mohd Syukri and Arius Dius Jais.

Yassin said the squad will give their best and try to avoid defeat as they look to secure the seven-point target set in their opening three matches, all of which are away fixtures.

“Our plan was to get a draw against Kedah and we did one better by winning the match.

“So, another four points will come from the next two matches to achieve the target.

“Pahang will be a tricky game and like us, they also won their first match. However, as long as the players perform their best, I’m optimistic of getting a positive result,” he added.

The state juniors have been staying in Peninsular Malaysia since the opening game against Kedah and after Pahang, they will take on Misc-Mifa at the USIM Mini Stadium in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan on March 1.

The squad will return home after that but then will be on the road again when they face Perlis at the Tuanku Syed Putra Stadium in Kangar on March 8.

Sabah will play their first home game when they take on the Armed Forces (ATM) here on March 12.