Kota Kinabalu: Sabah head coach Jelius Ating said his players must keep their feet firmly on the ground when they take on bottom club team Police in their Premier League clash here at Likas Stadium tonight (Saturday) at 8.15pm. He warned his players against complacency even though Sabah Tambadaus are on a roll at the moment following their wins over Sarawak and Terengganu II in their last two matches.
“There are no easy opponents for me in this competition. The players must play all out against any opponents that they are facing. “The players have to give their very best tomorrow if they want to deliver another three points, even though Police are at the bottom in the table standing right now. “They must realise that it is still early in the season and it is hard to determine who are the weak teams at this stage.
“We have to take it one game at a time and winning the match tomorrow will prove that we are the better side,” he said on Friday. Despite his cautious approach, Jelius is confident his team will win the match. “I believe we can do it provided the players can give their best. The players have shown that they can play well to win the last two matches and they must keep their momentum. “The difference in points among most of the teams is not significant, so we need to win against Police to strengthen our position,” he added.
Meanwhile, Brazilian striker Luiz Carlos Junior, who has recovered from his injury, will start the match replacing the suspended Ricco Nigel Milus. “Junior is fit again and he will be back in the starting line up to reclaim his place from Ricco who will be out serving a one match suspension after collecting three yellow cards. “With the inclusion of Junior, we may have to make some tactical changes to maximise his strength to the team,” he said.
Junior is expected to play up front with Rodoljub Paunovic supported by Luka Milunovic from behind. Azizan Nordin will be in the engine room while Maxsius Musa and Sabri Sahar will operate from both flanks. There will be no change in the back-line as well with Park Taesu, Rawilson Batuil, Dendy Lowa and Randy Baruh in defence and, Rozaimie Rohim in goal. Jelius also urged all football fans to come and give their support to team Tambadau. Tickets will on sale at the stadium starting at 10am today.
