Kelantan will be travelling to take on Perak in what will potentially be an explosive affair between two sides looking to keep their momentum going after a decent start to the season. The home side have certainly had the better introduction to the season, collecting seven points from their first three games, besides also securing a win in their FA Cup opener against Shahzan Muda.
Their start has been rather refreshing, considering that they were tipped to be massive underdogs this year with a squad that is relatively young and inexperienced. Rather, their performances on the pitch have been a real breath of fresh air and their star performer thus far is none other than South Korean attacker Namkung Woong.
“He has the height as well as the ability to keep the ball, precisely why I opted to put him upfront. And I’m glad that move has worked wonders, because he has been contributing goals for us,” Datuk M. Karathu recently told Harian Metro.
That being said, he remains a doubt for this fixture after picking up a minor injury recently. Perak though, will be boosted by the return of Marco Tulio, who scored against Shahzan Muda, in what was his first match after recovering from an injury.
Meanwhile, Kelantan will also be looking to continue their momentum after working hard to secure a win over Sarawak last weekend. They had a decent start to the season, before it came to a frustrating halt against PDRM, when they lost 4-0. But since then, they’ve picked their pieces up and George Boateng seems like he knows his squad pretty well.
The absence of Brendan Gan continues to leave a void in the middle of the park, and George hasn’t found a permanent replacement for that particular position. Amar Rohidan played against PDRM, but Fakri Saarani did a pretty decent job against Sarawak, so it will be interesting to see who continues in that position this week.
On paper, Kelantan definitely have the better squad. But Perak will be buoyed by their home support and the fact that they are unbeaten at home this season. If anything, this tie has every ingredient to be an intriguing affair, that will ultimately be decided by mistakes or moments of brilliance.
Photo Credit: Asiana.my
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