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By Kenneth Ho |
LionsXII coach V. Sundramoorthy has revealed that he wants his team to adopt an attacking mindset for Saturday’s match against Pahang, as they gun for all three points against the Malaysian Super League (MSL) leaders.
After losing their last two away fixtures and crashing out of the Malaysia FA Cup in the process, Sundram is determined to get back to winning ways at home.
Having won both their home matches so far, the former Singapore striker is counting on the home support to boost the squad’s morale as they seek a third consecutive home win.
“Definitely we have to take the game to them [Pahang], because we are playing at home [and] the fans are behind you," Sundram pointed out.
“It’s important that they [the LionsXII players] are confident and they try to play our brand of football and try to win the game."
However, Sundram knows the match against the league leaders will not be an easy task, especially as his squad are still trying to play as a cohesive unit after undergoing major squad changes from last season.
“I think it’s tough," he said. "They are top of the table and we are [still] trying to get the team to gel together. It will be a good game [and] hopefully the boys will come out and fight for the three points."
The 47-year-old also revealed that 22-year-old Zulfami Arifin is in line to make his debut, after he handed the midfielder his first Singapore cap in a recently friendly match against Bahrain.
“It is going to be his [Zulfami] first game; I saw him in Bahrain [and] he did well. Let’s see [how he does] in a competitive game [while] under pressure, and give him an opportunity to perform,” Sundram said.
Sundram allayed fears that Izwan Mahbud will miss the game after the Singapore’s first-choice goalkeeper missed Thursday’s training session due to illness, and also welcomed Hariss Harun’s return to the fold.
“Hariss is very influential," he said. "Hariss can add more strength to the team and with him around, the players believe that we can definitely move up the ladder [in the MSL].”
LionsXII will take on Pahang at Jalan Besar Stadium on Saturday, with kick-off at 7.45p.m.
