Underdog Rhinos all out to scalp mighty Pahang
Sabah are determined to create an upset when they face a mighty Pahang squad in the Malaysia Cup match at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan, tonight.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah are determined to create an upset when they face a mighty Pahang squad in the Malaysia Cup match at the Darul Makmur Stadium in Kuantan, tonight.
Despite being underdogs, Sabah are confident of putting up a strong fight to try and steal the points from this tough encounter.
Head coach Jelius Ating admitted that Pahang are a solid team overall, but he insisted that Sabah are no pushovers and that his charges are ready to spring one or two surprises despite the opponent's home ground advantage.
"We haven't played against Pahang in a long time but I know they are a strong team. They are a formidable side that are solid in all positions and they are especially mighty when playing in front of thousands of fans on home ground.
"We've seen some their matches but we have our own strategy to try and overcome the odds because in football anything is possible. The World Cup was a good example... there were so many upsets created by underdog teams," he said when contacted yesterday.
Jelius said Sabah were looking for points and that they would be happy to settle for a draw if victory eludes them.
Sabah have not featured in the tournament in recent years and Jelius hoped to get things off to a good start.
"Tomorrow will be Sabah's first Malaysia Cup appearance in six years so we definitely want to try and get it off to a flying start despite being underdogs," he said.
He is likely to field the same starting line up although with the exception of Dendy Lowa who will replace Evan Wenceslaus at the back line.
"Dendy has returned to fitness but we still don't have Keisuke Ogawa and Jenius Karib who are both still injured," he said.
Jelius is expected to feature Rozaimie Rohim as custodian, while Dendy leads the back line with fellow defenders Rawilson Batuil, Randy Baruh and Francis Kasonde.
Sabri Sahar will orchestrate in midfield assisted by Mohd Azzizan Nordin, Maxsius Musa and Hamran Peter, while Hector Omar Ramos and Roduljub Paunovic will lead the attack.