Sabah expect tough match against Penang
Published on: Saturday, May 25, 2019
By: GL Oh
Kota Kinabalu: Jelius Ating is expecting a difficult game for Sabah Tambadaus when they take on Penang in the Premier League encounter at City Stadium tonight.The islanders, after five-match winless runs, have been very impressive lately with two consecutive wins that started with the 4-1 demolition of Kelantan at home followed by an upset 2-0 away victory over leaders JDT II last week.ADVERTISEMENT
In their meeting last March, Jelius’s boys claimed a 2-0 victory over the Penangites through goals from Brazilian import, Luiz Carlos Junior, who have since left the Tambadaus.
But repeating a similar result will not be easy said the former state skipper.
“We played them at home and won but now we are playing them away. It is going to be tough for us tomorrow (Saturday). Their performance have been quite good especially with the win over JDT II in their last match.
“So, we need to be on our toes and be cautious. We must maintain our good runs and hopefully we can get a good result in Penang,” he said on Friday.ADVERTISEMENT
He added that the Tambadaus will apply a compact game plan and opt for quick counter attacks when presented with chances.
“As usual we will play a compact game but the tactics may vary depending on the situation,” he said.
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Nevertheless, Jelius is quite concern with the fitness of newly signed Angola national striker, Aguinaldo Veiga Mendes, who scored the winner against UKM in Tambadau last match.
“Our new striker Aguinaldo is not fully fit at the moment but despite the shortcoming, I hope he will be able to find the target for us tomorrow.”
Meanwhile, there will only be one change in the team’s starting line-up with Randy Baruh returning from suspension to take over from Dendy Lowa at right back position.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Probable starting 11 for Sabah tonight are Rozaimie Rohim at goal, Rawilson Batuil, Park Taesu, Randy Baruh and Evan Wensley Wenceslaus in defence.
Azizzan Nordin and Ahmet Atayew will assume the midfield roles and they will be supported by Alto Linus on the right and Jenius Karib on the left while Rodoljub Paunovic and Aguinaldo Mendes will spearhead the forward department.