The Terengganu football team checked into the Puteri Pacific Hotel in the heart of the city late on Friday afternoon for tomorrow’s second-leg Malaysia Cup semi-final match against defending champions Johor Darul Takzim at the Larkin Stadium.
The Turtles hold a one-goal advantage from the 1-0 win in the first leg played at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu – with coach Irfan Bakti optimistic that the East Coast side can hold their own to keep the Cup Final date on Oct 27.
JDT, better known as the Southern Tigers, are the new kingpins of Malaysian football after retaining the Malaysian Super League title for the fifth successive year.
Despite the one-goal deficit from the first leg, the Southern Tigers are hot favorites to reach the Malaysia Cup final again this year.
But playing JDT in their den is the least of worries for Irfan and company. Instead, Irfan is more concerned with who will be the match officials for the biggie at the Larkin Stadium.
“I am more concerned with the match officials. If we can get a good referee who will be neutral in the big match you can rest assured of a high-quality match from both sides,” said Irfan on his arrival.
“You need a good referee for a good match. We know JDT has a big reputation at home and has a strong team for the match. My team has come with a burning desire to win.
“Team spirit is high. So is our confidence. Past results involving Terengganu at the Larkin Stadium do not bother us. Football is a funny game and anything can happen in a match which has a lot to offer to both teams.”
Meanwhile, JDT is all set to deliver in front of their home fans and manager Luciano Figueroa is counting on his players, both local and foreign to show their scoring prowess.
Irfan is aware of the enormous depth JDT has on the bench and how players like Cabrera Gonzalo, Safawi Rasid can single-handedly win a match for their team.
“We have a match plan to check the danger. This is where we have to play according to match plans,” added Irfan. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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