KOTA KINABALU, Sept 20 — Sabah FC head coach Datuk Ong Kim Swee has asked his players to not take things lightly when they face Hougang FC from Singapore in the AFC Cup at the Likas Stadium here tomorrow night.
He said there was no pressure for the Rhinos squad for the first match of the AFC Cup group stage because most of the players has extensive experience including playing at the international level.
“We have good players and we are also playing at home with our own supporters...that is our advantage but we cannot take this game for granted.
“I still have less than 24 hours to select the players and we hope all the players are ready and able to give their best in the match,” he told reporters at a press conference here today.
Asked about the target in the AFC Cup competition, Kim Swee said Sabah FC has not set any specific target but will focus on each match in the competition.
“Obviously, we want to go as far as we can in the tournament like what Kuala Lumpur FC and Johor Darul Ta’zim FC have done...therefore we must give our full focus in every match,” he added.
Sabah FC and Hougang FC have been drawn alongside Vietnam’s Hai Phong FC and Indonesia’s PSM Makassar in Group H in this year’s AFC Cup with the first match scheduled for tomorrow night.
Besides the clash between Sabah FC and Hougang FC at the Likas Stadium here, Hai Phong will meet PSM Makassar at Lach Tray Stadium, Vietnam tomorrow night.
Meanwhile, Hougang FC head coach Marko Kraljec said playing in front of thousands of fans at the Likas Stadium will be one of the challenges for his team when they meet Sabah tomorrow night.
“We are fully prepared even though the advantage may still be in favour of the home team... the Sabah FC team clearly has good and experienced players.
“However, we have made good preparations including planning and tactics for tomorrow’s match,” he said.
He said the team from Singapore was also ready to face the stadium atmosphere and promised that tomorrow would be a good match for both teams. — Bernama
