Come Tuesday night, thousands of Seladangs will be packed into the Perak Stadium as they take on Terengganu in the second leg of the FA Cup quarter-final.
It’s fair to say that both teams visibly understand each other’s playing style. Perak and Terengganu have faced each other twice over the last two weeks; once in the first leg of the FA Cup and once in the league.
First time around, the Seladangs almost clinched a narrow 1-0 victory, before Paulo Rangel scored an injury time spot kick to seal a 1-1 draw. In in the second game, the Seladangs were 2-1 up an one point, but a mini renaissance from the Turtles saw them come from behind to complete a resounding 3-2 victory on the day.
In both matches, the major battles took place upfront, between the forwards and defenders. In the first leg, Perak’s Thiago Aquino was absolutely brilliant in dealing with the threat posed by Paulo Rangel, keeping him at bay up until he slotted ome the spot kick. Horace James of Perak made his debut in the second match, and much was expected of him due to his prolific record in previous teams. Vincent Bikana though, did a decent job at nullifying the threat, except for an assist that contributed to Namkung Woong’s goal.
This time around, we could a shift in strategy from both sides. Horace James is relatively strong in the air, and it would make sense for the Seladangs to opt to play through the flanks, especially with Nurridzuan Abu Hassan being on form. It wouldn’t be surprising if G. Mugenthiran is unleashed again, following his good showing during the first leg in Kuala Terengganu.
For the Turtles, they now have the option of playing Norshahrul Idlan and Paulo Rangel together; a partnership that could potentially catch Datuk M. Karathu’s men by surprise. It hasn’t entirely flourished, as far as their last match was concerned, but Norshahrul is undoubtedly an experienced forward who knows how to find the back of the net.
With the first leg score being 1-1, this tie is still very much open. Perak’s home performances have been convincing, even in their 3-2 defeat to Terengganu. But football is all about the score line and if Terengganu can pull off a strategic tactical performance once again, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them clinch the win.
Photo Credit: Asiana.my
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