Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Tambadaus will need all the luck they can get to keep their quarterfinal hopes alive by beating Pahang in the Malaysia Cup group C tie tomorrow (Saturday) at Likas Stadium.It will be a tall order for Jelius Ating’s (pic) boys having lost their opening two matches and are bottom in the group with no points, while their opponents are top with a maximum six points.
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Despite the tough task ahead, the head coach wants his players to give their best and try to turn their fortune around by upsetting their opponents.
“We have to win because only a victory will keep us in the hunt for a spot in the quarterfinals. We know the task is getting harder after losing the earlier two games but we cannot change what has happened.
“However, there are still four games to go that can change our destiny. This is what we need to focus on and a win against Pahang on Saturday will be a good start.
“We will definitely try our best to win it with the home ground advantage,” he said on Thursday.
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Apart from the injured Turkmenistan midfielder Ahmet Atayev who may need surgery on his knee who is definitely a none starter from the recent usual first 11 start list, Jelius is also concerned about South Korean defender Park Tae Su who suffered a thigh strain and only undergone two days of light training.
“With the loss of Ahmet, I hope not to lose Park as well. We will check on him tomorrow, and hopefully he will be able to attend full training then we may put him in the list against Pahang on Saturday.
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“We need the best players we have to play against a team like Pahang. I am sure the others are also up to the task if called upon,” he added.
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Meanwhile, Ricco Nigel Milus is likely to take over Ahmet’s place in midfield to link up with Azizan Nordin and Alto Linus with either Jenius Karib or Maxsius Musa.
The rest are unlikely to change with Rozaimie Rohim in goal, skipper Rawilson Batuil, Park or Mafry Balang, Randy Baruh and Evan Wensley Wenceslaus in defence while Rodoljub Paunovic and Aguinaldo Mendes will lead the attacks.
