Rhinos meet JDT II in Premier League opener
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Sabah will kick off their Premier League challenge against Johor Darul Ta’zim II (JDT II) at the Likas Stadium on February 2.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah will kick off their Premier League challenge against Johor Darul Ta'zim II (JDT II) at the Likas Stadium on February 2.
The season's fixtures were released two days ago where Sabah and JDT II are among 12 teams that will be competing in this tier two division of the Malaysian Football League.
Other teams in the Premier League include Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM FC), Sarawak, Universiti Teknologi Mara FC (UiTM FC), Penang, Terengganu FC II (TFC II), Kelantan, Negeri Sembilan, Selangor United and Perlis.
The double-round league format will see teams play 11 matches at home and 11 matches away to determine the champion.
The top two teams will be promoted to the Super League, while the bottom two will be relegated to the FAM Cup League.
Sabah team manager Henry Saimpon said they would do their best to ensure the team and players are ready for the season kick-off next month.
"Our main focus now is to form the best team possible. Up to now, all preparations have gone well and I believe head coach Jelius Ating will prepare the squad well for the season proper.
"The only remaining issue is our search for foreign imports. We still have three slots available and we want only the best players for Sabah," he said when met here yesterday.
So far 10 candidates have undergone trials with the Rhinos, but none have met the standards set by Jelius. The team still have until February 20 to complete their search for foreign players.
"Hopefully, we can find suitable ones soon so we can begin the season's challenge with a full squad," Henry said.
Sabah have only one foreign import in the squad, which is Rodoljub Paunovic. The Serbian striker played for the Rhinos last season and is still under contract with the Sabah FA until the middle of this year.
After their match with JDT II, Sabah travel away to face Kelantan on February 8 before heading back home to host TFC II on February 16.
They have another away match next month against Sarawak on February 23.