MALAYSIA STARTS SECOND LEG AS
THE UNDERDOGS
SINGAPORE - Norizan Bakar is putting up a brave front as he
attempts to lead Malaysia to the final of the Asean Football
Championship. With an expected 55,000 sell-out crowd at the
National Stadium on Saturday to cheer the home team on and the
reputation Singapore brings into the tournament as defending
champion, surely Malaysian must start their second leg semi-final
encounter as the underdog.
What more, with no advantage from the opening leg at the Shah Alam
stadium on Tuesday to carry forward for the decisive leg, the
Malaysian coach only know too well of the heavy task that lies
ahead.
Having lost the oppurtunity to score a victory at home, which they
needed to help their cause, they must now throw caution to the wind
and push forward in search of the goals to add to the 1-1 result
from the first leg.
Yet he remains optimistic that things will end well in Singapore.
"There is no question of us running away from the challenge
ahead.We are here because we derserve to be here at this stage of
the championship. So now it's all up to us to put things together
to go for it. And there is nothing to suggest that we will be
running scared.
LIONS POISED FOR SECOND
CONSECUTIVE FINAL APPEARANCE
Singapore by their own reckoning are nicely poised to make the
final of the Asean Football Championship for the second consecutive
time.
What more could the defending champion ask for as they look ahead
to the second leg of their second leg semi-finals at the National
Stadium tonight with no unneccessary baggage to remove and no
deficit to erase. With the score at 1-1 from the first leg at the
Shah Alam stadium, Singapore knows they are in a comfortable
position and given the familiar surroundings and the expected huge
crowd support, things are looking up for them.
Tickets sales have been so good in the past few days and the FA of
Singapore are not expecting to see any empty spaces on the terraces
in the 55,000 seater stadium, weather permitting.
The only concern which Avramovic has to put away at the back of his
mind, is the absence of his centreback and the pillar of defence,
Aide Iskandar Sahak who is suspended because of two yellow cards is
to be replaced by Baihaki Kaizan, a move which Avramovic is least
worried about. "It's nice to know we have a strong bench to rely
on. Aide is a good player and a good captain but we have a good
replacement too," added Avramovic.
And the other good news is that the experienced defender
A.Subramani is almost back to 100 per cent after his hamstring
injury last week. "He trained well and the signs are good. We will
make a decision just before the kick off," added Avramovic. The
midfielder Mustafic Fahruddin is also available after serving his
one match suspension and indeed the signs are all looking up for
Singapore.
"Malaysia I suspect ,will sit back, defend and try to hit us on the
counter attack. That's going to be the likely approach they will
take," said Avramovic. But Singapore he promises, will take it all
in their stride and rise to the challenge.
