Both the LionsXII and Selangor scraped through their opening games of
the 2013 Malaysian Super League season with solitary-goal victories
against ATM FA and Negeri Sembilan respectively a few days ago, and they
will be keen to build on their winning starts.
The home side will still be missing the influential Hariss Harun in
central midfield, but coach V. Sundramoorthy can be pleased with the
performance of debutant Hafiz Abu Sujad against ATM.
Despite picking up the three points, the two lone strikers Fazrul
Nawaz [LionsXII] and Francis Doe [Selangor] both similarly failed to
impress, and could use with some extra shooting practice before the
match on Saturday.
The ex-Courts Young Lions skipper partnered Isa Halim and the new
combination proved difficult for their opponent to break down, and they
were forced to change their tactics to attack the LionsXII via the
flanks.
Winger Gurusamy and right-back Mahali Jasuli, who has been dubbed the
‘Malaysian Cafu’, venture forward as a well-coordinated team on that
flank. Meanwhile, Kunanlan and Shukor Jusoh will also be sure to cause
problems down the left, so full-backs Faritz Hameed and Irwan Shah will
have to be on their toes.
This is exactly one area which could cause Sundram a headache, as
Selangor is known for their hardworking and speedy players down the
side.
The crowd at the Jalan Besar Stadium will have to play their part as
the ’12th man’ against a Selangor team that cannot be taken lightly, and
the home support could prove to be the deciding factor between these
two sides.
The LionsXII will once again look to skipper Shahril Ishak for
inspiration, as the attacking midfielder carried on where he left off
last season by scoring the winner against ATM FA. The Singapore
captain’s creativity and ability to lead the line with verve will be
crucial in guiding this new-look team, who were quite frankly a tad
fortunate to have come away with victory.