If there was ever a David vs Goliath clash in Malaysian football, this would be it. It has nothing to do with Perak’s league standings; they have been decent this year. And it has nothing to do with their history as well. This though, is a battle between two sides with different philosophies as far as this season is concerned.
Perak’s squad is largely made up of youth players who came through the President Squad within the state. And you wouldn’t deny the fact that hunger has played a key part in the ability to generate success this year. Despite being tipped for relegation, the Seladangs have done reasonably well, albeit their recent exit from the FA Cup.
As far as team news is concerned, Namkung Woong is being tipped to make a return tonight, and Thiago Aquino, who will be pivotal to effectively nullify the threat posed by Johor DT’s Alhaji Kamara, is also set to return. Upper-body strength, seems to be Perak’s achilles heel, as depicted in their defeat to Terengganu last weekend, where they failed to cope with Paulo Rangel without the suspended Thiago.
Johor DT, despite their sophisticated youth development system, is still a squad that was largely developed through player transfers; though results haven’t exactly favoured them this season. Though it must be said that the arrival of their new foreign signings have significantly increased the squad morale. They are unbeaten in all competitions throughout this month, winning three matches, including an impressive 2-0 victory over Kitchee SC of Hong Kong.
But the Southern Tigers’ brand of football tends to largely depend on the pitch condition. The Perak Stadium has a decent pitch, though the quality of is probably questionable to a certain extent. That could potentially hinder their possession-based style of play, which ironically benefits the approach of Datuk M. Karathu, who prefers his men to keep it tight at the back and hit on the counters.
This could be one of those matches where volatility takes center stage. If Perak continue to play with confidence and the Seladangs pack into the stadium on Friday night, Johor DT will be in for a rough one. But with Patito Rodriguez working things out on the flank, never trivialize JDT’s ability to grind out an away victory.
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