PETALING JAYA: It will be a reunion of sorts for Petaling Jaya City captain K. Gurusamy when they take on Sabah in the Super League at the Petaling Jaya Stadium today.
The former Harimau Muda midfielder will face an ex-coach in Ong Kim Swee and former national teammates Irfan Fazail and Gary Steven Robbat.
And Gurusamy, who was part of the national Under-23 squad from 2008 to 2011, is game to go the extra mile against the impressive Rhinos.
‘’It’s thrilling that I’ll be facing a former coach of mine, Kim Swee, who has taken Sabah to second in the Super League,’’ said the 33-year-old Gurusamy.
“Then there are Gary and Irfan, my fellow midfielders during our Harimau Muda days. Both are solid guys and they are performing well, which gives me a push to do well in the game.’’
The Phoenix have had a rough season so far as they lie ninth with 11 points from 11 matches. They have also yet to register a win in their last nine games in all competitions.
In their last league games, they were held 1-1 by Kuala Lumpur and 2-2 by Melaka.
Gurusamy said they have been playing attractive football but sadly it wasn’t matched by their results.
“We have to be smarter and more aggressive up front to get the goals and win games. We have an attacking approach but sometimes, the finishing isn’t up to the mark. I hope that changes against Sabah.”
And PJ City should be heartened by the fact that Sabah are facing a mini crisis after Kim Swee lost centrebacks Jackson Souza and Dominic Tan due to injuries.
Gurusamy, however, isn’t expecting a weakened Sabah side.
“It boils down to our own performance on the night. If we don’t take our chances well, we won’t bag full points.’’
