Rhinos hope foreign stars will be available to provide the thrust

PETALING JAYA: Sabah are hoping to unleash their foreign legion of stars as they aim to rebound against Kedah.

They only had the service of one import – defender Park Tae-su – when they faced Melaka on Sunday but still escaped with a 1-1 draw in their opening Super League tie at the Hang Jebat Stadium.

Coach Kurniawan Dwi Yulianto knows he needs the foreign players to beef up his side in today’s match against Kedah, who had lost 0-2 to Johor Darul Ta’zim in their opener.

He is hopeful that their management will be able to clear Macedonian centreback Risto Milevski, Gabonese midfielder Levy Madinda, Indonesian winger Saddil Ramdani and Liberian striker Sam Johnson to play.

All of them had completed the compulsory quarantine procedure.

“The quarantine is done and I’m waiting for the green light from the management. It will be great to have them but if they can’t make it to Alor Setar, we’ll come up with plan B against Kedah, ” said Kurniawan.

“Kedah are a top side. They have two good strikers in Tchetche Kipre and Kpah Sherman who can be dangerous when they are on form. But I’ve told my players to focus on our game plan and not succumb to pressure.

“What we did in Melaka worked but we’ve to do better against Kedah. We need to be more disciplined and stronger mentally. We did okay without the majority of the foreigners, we just need the belief.”

One player who impressed against Melaka was 40-year-old Amri Yahyah and Kurniawan hopes to see the veteran produce another masterful performance.

“He is a leader on and off the pitch. He is a true professional. He may have lost some pace, but he’s intelligent. The youngsters are learning from him.

“We have some fitness concerns, though, especially our midfielder Azizzan (Nordin), who complained of some muscle pains. We will assess him thoroughly before deciding on our line-up today.”