Johor DT will be looking to get back to winning ways in the AFC Cup when they host Kitchee FC at the Larkin Stadium on Tuesday night.
The Southern Tigers were impressive in their first two matches of the competition, against East Bengal as well as Balestier Khalsa, but they were brought back to earth by Kitchee SC last time out, losing 2-0 away from home.
The mood within the Johor camp has been positive in recent weeks, with the arrival of Patito Rodriguez as well as Alhaji Kamara, but both men will be unavailable for selection as far as this match is concerned. That inherently means that Lucho Figueroa could be selected to spearhead their line-up; potentially alongside Amri Yahya and Safee Sali.
Kitchee SC got the job done, in containing Johor’s attackers last time out, but while that could very much happen again, one would always be compelled to appreciate JDT’s record at home.
That however, doesn’t make Johor DT favourites for this tie. Kitchee SC will come into this one on the back of a morale-boosting win in the FA Cup, as they cruised past Wofoo Tai Po with a 3-1 win on Saturday. Borja Rubiato, who hasn’t scored since his arrival in January, finally opened his account with their first goal, before Emmet Wan Chun and Christian Annan scored to complete the victory.
They were also handed a massive boost with skipper Fernando Recio making his first appearance in over two months last weekend, having recovered from a foot injury. And the central defender is now upbeat about featuring against Johor on Tuesday night.
“There was [no problem] from my injury and I feel very good. I think 45 minutes is sufficient in my first game and now look forward to playing again in the AFC Cup. I want to play in the regional cup tie because I am fit again but in the end it’s up to the coach to make the decision,” he told South China Morning Post.
As for Johor DT, they will primarily be without first choice goalkeeper Farizal Marlias, who reportedly suffered a concussion during their 0-0 draw against LionsXII on Saturday.
“He had a clash with LionsXII’s Madhu Mohana on the 80th minute and suffered a concussion because of that. We sent him to a specialist in Johor Bahru after the game and thankfully, it was nothing serious,” Bojan Hodak told Harian Metro.
“But he needs to rest for at least three days, so I will not be including him in my plans for the match against Kitchee SC.”
While Johor have remained unbeaten in their last two games since the international break ended, they haven’t exactly been uber impressive. But tomorrow presents the perfect chance for them to leave no stone unturned and go gung-ho. A victory would put them closer to the knockout stages, but a defeat would place a massive dent on their hopes of making it out of the group.
It’s that tricky at this point; precisely why this should be nothing short of exciting.
Other posts by Keeshaanan Sundaresan
