Sabah wary of wounded Selangor
Published on: Saturday, August 18, 2018
Kota Kinabalu: The Rhinos are likely to take a more cautious approach when they take on Selangor in the Malaysia Cup Group D match at Likas Stadium tonight (Saturday) starting at 8.15pm.Head coach Jelius Ating said it will be suicidal if the players think it will be a stroll in the park with their recent good run against the side which have won the Cup 33 times in their history."We should not take for granted we can win the match easily with home ground advantage especially with the recent good result from the earlier two matches.
ADVERTISEMENT
"The players cannot afford to be over confident in a cup competition especially against a team that had disappointed us in past Malaysia Cup competitions."They must keep in mind that Sabah were twice beaten by Selangor in the Malaysia Cup finals in 1996 and 2002, and also once by MPPJ from Selangor in 2003," he said on Thursday.He warned his players that Selangor are like a wounded tiger and may strike back against Sabah to make amends following losses in the first two matches."They may have lost their first two matches but I believe they will take the game to us tomorrow.
ADVERTISEMENT
It is going to be a fierce encounter as they will be desperate to get their first win while we are also aiming for the three points to strengthen our chances of progressing into the next round."He added that after watching the video recordings of Selangor's opening matches against PKNP and Pahang, Sabah's players will need to work extra hard in order to upset the Red Giants.
ADVERTISEMENT
"We have observed that PKNP and Pahang managed to win their matches because their players work tirelessly throughout the 90 minutes and I believe our players will have to do the same if not better."He also disclosed that he may not make any changes in the team's starting line-up that faced PKNP last Saturday."Our Japanese import Keisuke Ogawa is actually back training with us but I will not take the risk to start him tomorrow night after just coming back from his injury, and furthermore, the team are playing well at the moment.'The probable starting line-up today are goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim, defenders Rawilson Batuil, Francis Kasonde, Leopold Alfonso Otong and Alto Linus.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
Daily Express Malaysia
