GEORGE TOWN: The Malaysia Cup Group D minnows Kedah are planning an upset when they take on favourites Lions XII at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore tomorrow.
Despite enduring a mediocre season in the Premier League, where they finished a disappointing fourth, the Canaries believe they can soar when the 16-team Malaysia Cup competition kicks off tomorrow.
With changes in both the team’s coaching set-up and the Kedah FA leadership, the Canaries believe they are able to pose a threat in Group D, which also features Perak and Sarawak.
Interim coach Datuk Ahmad Shafie feels there is no better way to announce Kedah’s aspirations than by pulling off a surprise at the Lions XII’s den, where V. Sundramoorthy’s team did not lose a single Super League match this year.
“Many people commented about the difficulty of taking on the Lions XII on their artificial pitch but I feel we can pull off a surprise with the right tactics,” said Ahmad yesterday.
“A good start in the competition against the Super League champions will be a good morale booster for Kedah. On paper, we do not stand a chance but we are heading to Singapore to get a positive result.”
Ahmad, who officially took charge of the team at the start of the month following the departure of Croatian Marijo Tot, added that the Kedah players have been training on the Alor Setar City Hall’s artificial pitch to prepare for tomorrow’s opening Group D game.
“We shifted our training sessions and even played a friendly against the Kedah President Cup team on the artificial pitch in Alor Setar. But I was told that the playing conditions are different at the Jalan Besar Stadium because the synthetic grass there is shorter and the ball rolls faster.
“Although the two teams did not meet in the league this year, Kedah can fall back on our good past record against Lions XII in last year’s Super League.”
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