Sarawak coach says Super League match against rock-bottom club will be no easy task
KUCHING: T-Team will be looking to avenge a 6-1 thrashing by Sarawak in a Malaysia Cup match on Sept 4, 2012 at Stadium Negeri when they take on the Crocs in a Super League fixture at Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium tonight.
Looking back at the last four previous encounters between the two teams, T-Team seems to have a slight upper hand as they have won two, drawn once and lost once against Sarawak.
Both teams had not played each other in the 2013 season as Sarawak were playing in the Premier League after being relegated at the end of 2012 season and both teams having avoided each in the FA Cup and Malaysia Cup competition that year.
But it is Sarawak who are looking on track with their Super League campaign as they currently occupy third place in the Super League standings with nine points while T-Team sit dangerously rock bottom at 12th spot with four points after five matches.
Despite the statistics, Sarawak head coach Robert Alberts however insisted that the Crocs are facing a different team tonight and that the record does not bother him or the team at all.
“It has been quite a while that we haven’t faced T-Team and they have changed a lot. Whatever it is, there is no way that this assignment will be an easy one,” he admitted.
He stated his case as the team was impressive during their season opener having defeated hot favourites for the Super League title, JDT 1-0 at home.
Alberts was speaking to The Borneo Post during the Crocs’ training session at the Stadium Negeri, just before travelling off to Peninsular Malaysia in the evening.
Coached by Albert’s former assistant Mohd Azraai Khor, the T-Team often mixes it around a little bit in their attacking style this season although they attack primarily through the flanks.
To stop T-Team, Sarawak must hence do whatever it takes to cut off the ball supply to their attackers if they were to come away victors in Kuala Terengganu tonight.
“If they were given enough comfort to play their game, they will pose a serious threat to us. I think we can go home with the three points if we can disrupt their rhythm and style of play,” said Alberts.
The match is scheduled to kick off at 8.45pm.