Sweet selection headache for Hodak

Johor Darul Ta

PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) coach Bojan Hodak is left with a “sweet problem” ahead of their final Super League match against Sarawak at the State Stadium in Kuching tomorrow.

The Croatian has all the players at his disposal following the return of suspended skipper Mohd Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak and leftback Mohd Daudsu Jamaluddin.

JDT, who lead the 12-team standings with 41 points, need a win in Kuching to secure the league crown.

Second-placed Selangor, who are a point adrift of JDT, take on relegated PKNS at the Shah Alam Stadium in their final match.

“Now, I will have to crack my head to pick the best players.

“It gives me a big headache on whom to pick, but I like this kind of headache,” admitted Hodak.

Hodak, however, has cautioned his team not to take mid-table Sarawak for granted.

“Anything can happen in football ... Sarawak are a tough side and they are expected to have their injured and suspended foreign players back for this match. We cannot under-estimate them.

“My biggest worry is how some of my players will adapt to the pressure ... I have told them that if they play well the result will come.”

Hodak is used to the kind of pressure, having guided Kelantan to the M-League treble of Malaysia Cup, FA Cup and Super League in 2012.

“I don’t want to talk about winning the title yet. What’s important is the performance against Sarawak. I didn’t expect us to be in this position at this stage,” said the 43-year-old coach.

“Before I took over in April, we were sixth in the league. We are now a step away from the title. The players did well to turn our fortunes around but we now must make sure our efforts count against Sarawak,” he added.