PETALING JAYA: Kelantan striker Hein Htet Aung is staying cautious of Sabah ahead of their FA Cup quarter-final first-leg clash at the Sultan Muhammad IV Stadium in Kota Baru today.
After defeating Kuala Lumpur 3-2 on aggregate in the round of 16 to enter the quarter-finals, the Myanmar forward is determined to take home ground advantage to get ahead of the visiting Sabah side.
Although Sabah are still without a win in the Super League, Htet Aung isn’t underestimating them as the FA Cup is a different stage altogether.
“Sabah are not an easy team. They have many strong players and they will surely make it tough for us,” said Htet Aung.
“We need to play with high discipline to make the most of our home advantage. Even though they are struggling in the Super League, anything can happen in the FA Cup.
“This is our chance to keep improving and carry a positive result into the second leg.”
Meanwhile, Sabah’s Fergus Tierney said his team would be keeping their eyes locked in on Kelantan’s T. Saravanan and Danial Haqim Draman.
Close friends off the pitch, Tierney said Saravanan can be a threat on the field.
“Everyone knows his (Saravanan’s) quality and what he brings to Kelantan,” said Tierney.
“We need to pay close attention to him and also Danial, who is tricky and always works hard in the midfield.
“We’ll go into the match with the intention to win, even though we haven’t gotten good results lately. We hope to turn things around.”
After the match today, Kelantan and Sabah will play the second leg match at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu on Oct 29.
