Vital cog: Terengganu’s Ismaheel Akinade (right) is challenged by Negri Sembilan’s Aliyu Audu Abu Bakar during the Malaysia Cup quarter-final first-leg match on Dec 14. — Bernama
KUALA NERUS: The Terengganu squad must maintain a solid defence to avoid conceding goals in the decisive Malaysia Cup quarter-final second-leg showdown against Negri Sembilan at the Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Kuala Nerus, today.
Their head coach Badrul Afzan Razali has urged the players to protect the two-goal lead they secured in the first quarter-final match in Paroi on Dec 14.
“I hope Abe (Mohd Rahadiazli Rahalim) can stay focused and perform well. We don’t want to concede, despite our two-goal lead,” he said.
“The wet pitch is a concern, and I hope the players are ready for any situation. In Melaka, we played in the rain and couldn’t score in the end,” he added, during a training session at the Gong Badak Sports Complex, yesterday.
In addition, Badrul, a former Terengganu midfielder, urged the players to sharpen their finishing in order to secure a spot in the semi-finals.
He stressed that sharp finishing will give the team an edge when facing the Deer, who boast a strong line-up and high fighting spirit.
“I want both strikers, Bonilla (Nelson Bonilla) and Akinade (Ismaheel Akinade), to be more decisive in front of goal. We frequently create chances, but too few are converted into goals,” he said.
For today’s match, Badrul confirmed that there would be no changes to the starting line-up, as no players are injured, except for Suhaimi (Suhaimi Husin), who is recovering from a medial collateral ligament (MCL) injury. — Bernama
