Datuk Ong Kim Swee
KOTA KINABALU (April 4): Head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee said Sabah could not afford to drop points as they return to Super League action away to Melaka United FC (MUFC) on Tuesday.
The match, which will start at Hang Jebat Stadium starting at 10pm, will be the first competitive game in one month for the teams and for Sabah, it is also the first of three consecutive away league fixtures in the space of two weeks.
And Kim Swee expressed hope that the squad would go all out and fight for the points so as to build up a strong foundation, especially with the league still in its early stage of competition.
After two matches, Sabah FC with superior goal difference are third in the 12-team standing having collected three points from the 3-1 victory at home against PJ City FC last month.
The Rhinos lost to Negeri Sembilan FC 1-0 in the opening game of the new season.
“The players are focused for the game and even with the one-month break, we continued to train as usual.
“We also conducted our preparation in Kuala Lumpur in the past one week and it included playing in a friendly game against PDRM.
“Apart from several players who have minor injuries, the rest are in good condition. We will give them time to prove their fitness … we will only decide the best 11 to start the game tomorrow (today),” he said when contacted on Monday.
Kim Swee went on to say that the Rhinos would go into the match looking for the win like any other game.
However, he expected a tricky encounter against Melaka United FC whom he believed were extra motivated in order to register their first win of the campaign.
“Melaka United are still without a win after two games and I believed the pressure is building against them to deliver the desired result … that will make them a dangerous opponents to face against.
“I’m sure like any other teams they (Melaka United) took advantage of the month-long break to identify the weaknesses and make improvement in the team.
“That is why we have to be extra careful and we certainly can’t afford to drop points.
“We know it is not going to be an easy task taking on Melaka United but with the preparation that we have, I strongly believe we will be able to match them and return with a positive result,” added Kim Swee.
Melaka United are eighth in the table standings on one point from the 1-1 draw with Penang FC while they lost 1-0 to PJ City FC.
Two other matches will be played on Tuesday with Sarawak United FC taking on Penang FC and Negeri Sembilan FC hosting Selangor FC.
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) and Kedah Darul Aman FC are tied on six points each but the former currently lead the standings on superior goal difference.
