PETALING JAYA: Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) are hoping to get their footing right when they take on Singapore’s Lion City Sailors in their debut Asean Club Championship Shopee Cup campaign today at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium.
The Southern Tigers’ coach Xisco Munoz is staying cautious against their opponents from across the Causeway, knowing the Sailors can be a tough opponent and are quick on the pitch.
“We have studied our opponents and we see how they play. They make good connections and good transitions,” said Munoz during the pre-match press conference.
“It’ll be important for us to have good concentration when we have the ball because our opponents can be dangerous if we lose it.
“They have good players in the last third and they have speed.
“But in our mind we want to give a good performance and get the three points in the new competition,” he said.
JDT defender Jon Irazabal, who scored two goals in the club’s 5-3 win against Negri Sembilan in their Super League opener last week, is excited for the match against Lion City Sailors.
“It’ll be a tough game against one of the big teams in South-East Asia, so I’m excited,” said Irazabal.
“All the players are ready to play against a big opponent. We have to be a step ahead to keep improving.
“We have a lot of new players, and we must understand each other better and what the coach is asking of us.
“We must try to penetrate better and work together. These are good exams for us to try and improve ourselves,” he said.
Meanwhile, Lion City Sailors head coach Aleksandar Rankovic remains undaunted for their clash against JDT, despite the team having lost both their meetings against the Southern Tigers last year.
The Asian Champions League Two (ACL2) runners-up will be looking to get a better start to their campaign this year in the Asean tournament after exiting at the group stage last season.
“We don’t want a repeat of what happened last season. It’s a tough position to be in where we start the first two matches away.
“But there’s no reason for us not to play with full force and chase the win,” said the Serbian-born Rankovic.
