PETALING JAYA: Whoever wins the midfield battle between Selangor and Kuching City could well have the upper hand in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Kuching midfielder Ryan Lambert is savouring that prospect as the Cats take on the Red Giants in the first leg at the Petaling Jaya Stadium today.
The 28-year-old is expected to start alongside Namibian playmaker and captain Petrus Shitembi and Nazmi Faiz Mansor, as the Cats look to take advantage into the second leg at the State Stadium in Kuching on Nov 8.
The trio know, however, that Selangor, led by South Korean coach Kim Pan-gon, have local duo Nooa Laine and Syahir Bashah to bank on.
Both have earned rave reviews this season, while the mercurial Venezuelan Eduardo Sosa provides the creativity.
Ryan, who joined Kuching on loan from Johor Darul Ta’zim in August, said the approach is simple – to win.
“It’s always a good battle playing against these guys, and I don’t think this game will be different as the pressure will be the same.
“Every game is just as important as the other. And winning is always the main focus.”
Kuching are looking to bounce back after losing 3-2 to Brunei in the Super League last week, a result that raised concerns that the players would enter the semi-final short of confidence.
Ryan said the team would rebound.
“The preparation has been short because of the quick turnaround of games for us this season. We’ve just tried to reset after the difficult Brunei game.”
The midfielder also said the constant travel for away games has been a new experience, and revealed that an injury slowed his start to life in Kuching.
“The main challenge here has been the amount of travel and long periods spent away from home in hotels.
“It’s hard to get in a rhythm when you’re constantly changing, but it is something that I expected and knew would happen prior to coming here.
“It was a bit of a slow start after breaking my nose in pre-season, but it is slowly getting better, and hopefully I don’t need any operation.”
Ryan has played nine games in all competitions so far and has been tasked with playing as a deep-lying playmaker in coach Aidil Sharin’s 4-4-2 or 4-3-3 formation.
Kuching will need him to be constantly on the ball against Selangor if they are to get a result, and Ryan appears to relish the challenge.
