KUALA LUMPUR, March 16 – Kuching City FC head coach Irfan Bakri is worried of his team’s tight schedule and blamed fatigue in his team’s 3-1 defeat to Johor Darul Takzim II (JDT II) over the weekend.
Tonight (Tuesday) his team faces unbeaten Sarawak United at Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka in a clash of the Sarawak siblings.
Irfan describes the match against Sarawak United coached by E. Elavarasan as a “sentimental match” which has drawn a lot of interest in the East Malaysian state.
”I hope we can recover in time for the Sarawak United match. Sarawak United had no weekend match and they are well rested. However, we will not let that stand in our way,” said Irfan from Melaka.
Despite the defeat to JDT II, Irfan praised his players for their commitment on the field. ”We crumbled in the second half when JDT II fielded players who have experience playing in the JDT first team.”
Putting the defeat aside, Irfan is counting on his team to improve as the season is has begun and is counting on a positive outcome at Hang Jebat. Sarawak United won their first two matches without conceding a goal – defeating Kelantan United (2-0) and Perak II (3-00.
Kuching City drew 1-1 with Terengganu II in Kuala Terengganu before losing to JDT II.
Elavarasan has warned his players not to underrate any team and two wins in two matches do not speak of a third win.
”The players will have to be committed and disciplined on the field to achieve the desired result. We need to keep the momentum and the pace as it is going to be a very competitive and challenging season,” said Elavarasan.
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