New Sabah Times
By FRANCIS XAVIER 3
KOTA KINABALU: Tambadau will be hoping their latest foreign recruit Luiz Junior will add extra bite as they seek for their first win when they take on Kelantan at Sultan Mohamad IV Stadium in Kota Bharu tonight.
The stateside, who succumbed to a 1-2 defeat to Johor Darul Ta’zim II in the opener last Saturday, is set to unleash the Brazilian striker after completing his switch from Egyptian Premier League side El Mokawloon SC ahead of tonight’s 9pm tie.
Sabah Football Association ((Safa) acting President Datuk Peter Anthony confirmed this to the media yesterday. He believes Luiz will be a positive addition to the squad that seems to lack sting upfront as evidence in their defeat to JDT II.
“Signing Junior is among the effort to improve the squad. He is a positive addition to the team especially up front and I hope he will help the team to get the goals.
“With him in the team I hope we will be able to bounce back from the opening game defeat,” said Peter while expressing his confidence that head coach Jelius Ating has rectify the weaknesses that led to Saturday’s home defeat.
Meanwhile, Jelius said the 28-year-old former Brazil Under-17 international will start against Kelantan. Luiz, whose full name is Luiz Carlos Caetano de Azevedo Junior, will join forces with fellow new signings Luka Milunovic of Serbia and Park Tae Su of South Korea as well as Serbian forward Rodoljub Paunovic.
Jelius said fielding Luiz in the first team will be a gamble as he only trained with the team less than a week and is yet to reach the ideal fitness level that will allow him to perform to his maximum potential.
“I’m hoping that Junior, despite not at his best fitness wise, will be able to at least contribute to the team’s attacking and finishing.
“We are doing everything we can for them (with Milunovic) to be ready for the game and add to the team depth. Jelius also revealed other aspects with regard to the team preparation to face Kelantan have been done during training, including watching a video recording of the defeat to JDT II in order to improve.
“We are not looking for excuses in that defeat but to learn from it. I’m happy that the players are working hard and making an effort to improve.
“We need a quick rebound and produce a positive response from the defeat and hopefully we will get that in our second game tomorrow (today)
“It will be tough playing away from home but if JDT II can do that (in Likas), I certainly believe we have the ability to do so in Kota Bahru.
“I have been motivating the players but it will also depend much on them too to go the extra mile to win the game … we are all going to work hard in order to achieve the three points,” said Jelius.
For the game tonight, Jelius is expected to retain the same faces that started against JDT II with the exception of Ricco Nigel Milus and Elias Sulaiman, who will make way for debutant Luiz and Mohd Azzizan Nordin.
The starting squad are goalkeeper Rozaimie Rohim, captain Rawilson Batuil, Park, Dendy Lowa, Randy Baruh, Maxsius Musa, Milunovic, Sabri Sahar, Mohd Azzizan Nordin, Luiz Junior and Paunovic.
Also in the travelling squad are Robson Rendy Rining, Mafry Balang, Ricco, Evan Wensley Wenceslaus, Rahman Shah Marajeh, Alto Linus and Ummareng Bacok.
