PETALING JAYA: It may sound like wishful thinking but Kuching City are hoping to spring a surprise against giants Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in their FA Cup semi-final first leg match despite being without three of their key players in the line-up today.
The Cats won’t have Ramadhan Saifullah, Daniel Amier and Haziq Nadzli, as they are on loan from JDT.
But head coach Aidil Sharin is ready for the change in line-up, banking on the team’s momentum to charge them through on home ground at the Sarawak Stadium.
“There will be some changes in the line-up from the last game because three of our players can’t play,” said Aidil.
“So we have to take in who is available. This is a big game, so everyone is looking forward to it.
“The most important thing for us will be to not concede first. I believe the boys are ready and we want to enjoy the game.”
Kuching are in good spirits after coming off a 5-0 win against Police in the Super League last Saturday.
Before that, they booked their spot in the semi-finals after defeating Terengganu 5-3 on aggregate in the quarter-finals last month.
Aidil added that JDT are coming off a 3-1 win against Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Elite on Wednesday, so their morale will be high as well.
“We are always the underdogs against a big team like JDT, and they just played a good game against Shanghai, so their morale will be good for the game.
“But anything can happen in football. The most important thing is that the boys are consistent and the match is controlled by a good referee so everyone can enjoy the game,” he said.
Kuching will travel to the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium for the second leg on Nov 29.
Meanwhile, Selangor take on Sabah in the other semi-final match as the Red Giants hope to turn things around after being knocked out of the AFC Champions League Two on Thursday when they fell 2-3 to Indonesia’s Persib Bandung.
The situation got worse for the club as frustrated fans gathered outside the stadium, demanding answers from the management.
