PETALING JAYA: Selangor coach Kim Pan-gon admitted that their slim one-goal cushion over Kuching City in the FA Cup semi-final will be hard to defend when they clash in the second leg in Sarawak.
The Red Giants will travel to Kuching on Nov 8 to battle the Cats for a place in the final and the South Korean expects a testing atmosphere in front of the passionate home supporters.
“It will be tough and difficult for us to play in Kuching with their supporters making things even more challenging,” said Pan-gon.
“We have to prepare well for the match and have a strong spirit. We want to reach the final. That’s an important mission for us.”
On Friday, Selangor had to bounce back from a goal down against Kuching to win the first leg 2-1 at the Petaling Jaya Stadium.
The home side fell behind early after eight minutes as winger Ramadhan Saifullah gave Kuching the lead.
Venezuelan midfielder Eduardo Sosa came to Selangor’s rescue with a brace in the 18th and 57th minutes.
Selangor have a Super League match against Star City on Nov 1 before travelling to Kuching the following week.
Meanwhile, Kuching City coach Aidil Sharin Sahak believes their chances of reaching the final are still good as his players have the ability to overturn the narrow deficit.
“I’ve been in this position before, where we can come back in Kuching,” said Aidil.
“The tight fixture schedule has made it a bit tough for us, but we’re not going to use that as an excuse.
‘’I believe there is a good chance for us to bounce back in Kuching and we will go all out for it.”
Before hosting Selangor at the Sarawak Stadium, Kuching will travel to South Korea to face Gangwon in the AFC Champions League (ACL) Two on Thursday, before taking them on again in Sarawak on Nov 5.
