Their
confidence is not unwarranted as Kelantan has deteriorated in recent weeks, and
a good 4-0 thumping by Sime Darby not only sealed their head coach’s fate, but
also caused their president Annuar Musa to announce that there are some players
in the squad which are ‘putting themselves above the team’.
Yet the
Crocs are also wary of Kelantan, which many still believe are a quality side.
The strike force of Kelantan in particular could bring problems for the Crocs
which will
be playing without strong defender Gabor Gyepes.
The
attacking force of Kelantan would most probably see the debut of Prince Tagoe,
a former World Cup striker whom will be eager to impress at his new club.
Aside
from Prince, Ahmad Shakir Mohd Ali and Mohammed Ghaddar are also ever ready to
stun the visitors shall they be left unmarked, and newly signed Brendan Gan
could also steal the moment with his ability to dictate the midfield.
To make
it even more difficult for the Crocs, Kelantan’s midfield boast of many
household names in Malaysian football such as Wan Zack Haikal, Mohd Badhri Mohd
Radzi and Ahmad Fakri Saarani, which could well prove to be too overwhelming
for Sarawak’s midfielders.
Aside
from that, the Red Warriors also boast of Malaysia’s first choice goalkeeper as
their last defence with the the likes of Obinna Nwaneri covering and cutting
out any possible attacks.
But the
Crocs are on fire, and the huge upset by Sime Darby over Kelantan last Tuesday
is a huge moral booster to a team like Sarawak who knows that Kelantan is in a
different class.
Their
last encounter saw the Red Warriors gun down the Crocs in Kuching,
and the record shows that the Crocs have not won against Kelantan since 2008,
with Kota Bharu in particular, a poor hunting ground for the Crocs since 2006.
S
Chanturu will again look to stamp his mark in this game with Robert Alberts
likely to field a similar line-up when the Crocs defeated ATM last Tuesday.
Muamer
Salibasic who is still not match fit just yet is expected to come on from the
bench, with Ryan Griffith and Hassan Mohamad spearheading the attack for the
Crocs.
The
midfield of Sarawak is expected to retain its regulars with Sharol Saperi
continuing his amazing form at the centre of the park. A slight shift will
probably happen in the defence of the Crocs with Gabor out for a month, giving
way to either Hairol Mokhtar or Mazwandi Zakeria to start with Ronny Harun.
Young
goalkeeper Fadzley Rahim is expected to be given the job between the post ahead
of Sani Anuar after the former performed admirably in the last two consecutive
games.
With that
said, we do think this is an uphill battle for the Crocs, and that a draw would
be something worth to cheer for.
Credit to sarawakcrocs.com
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