Sarawak looks troubled as they move into this all important game against Lions XII. Their injury list just grew over the weekend, and their stikers are not scoring enough.
The Crocs suffered a defeat last weekend when they surprisingly fell to their less illustrious T-Team. The defeat has been much attributed to their lack of fire-power, with the Crocs intensively looking for a new foreign striker to replace the current strike-force they have.
Until the transfer window opens next week, the Crocs are basically playing without much option up-front, and this could pose danger for the Crocs when they face a disciplined Lions XII squad. Zamri Morshidi and S Chanturu might get the nod to start up-front, but Rashid Aya would also be ready to step up shall he be given the task. Aliredza Abbasfard will also probably try to prove his worth to the fans of the Crocs for the last time, as the Iranian is set to play his final game for the Crocs this Saturday.
Lions XII was indeed unlucky to go down to Kelantan FA last weekend and they are expected to go all out when they play in Kuching later.
Fandi was quoted by a Singaporean sports portal to have said that he wants fighters in Kuching, and intends to bring back the full points. News reports also suggest that Fandi’s side is limping with injury, but it is believed that none of them are serious injuries.
Fandi’s optimism on his team’s chances in Kuching was not denied by Sarawak head coach Robert Alberts who refused to play down Lion’s chances, despite his side having home advantage.
In fact, the Dutch coach has called the his coming opponent as ‘They are the best of Singapore talent’, signalling that he is not in any way, underestimating the current seventh placed team in the Super League.
On form Khairul Amri would be a potent threat to the Crocs back-line with seasoned player in the likes of Gabriel Quak, and Hafiz Sujad assured a starting place in Fandi Ahmad’s squad.
Fandi would also be looking to have striker Khairul Nizam back in his team, as he hopes that the partnership between Khairul Amri and Khairul Nizam would be enough to tear down Sarawak’s defense line led by Gabor Gyepes.
Lions are known to play possession football with plenty of sharp passes made in a game to frustrate their opponents. Their strikers are not the tallest, but are able to sneak behind opponent defenders if not well guarded, while their midfielders dictate the pace of the game well, usually manipulating their opponents to follow their momentum.
Both the Crocs and Lions are well balanced on paper, and this game would decide who goes up, in the league.
The Crocs badly need a result to ensure they stay at the top half of the league, while Lions would want to show that last season’s championship was not a fluke.
Regardless, this would be an exciting game with plenty of drama expected on the pitch, with the Crocs having slight advantage despite their attacking woes.
OUR BIASED RESULT: Sarawak FA 1-0 LIONS XII
