Football

Rhinos told to keep charging in classic clash with Southern Tigers

KUALA LUMPUR: High-flying Sabah must not rush headlong into the match when they take on defending Super League champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in a top of the table clash at the Likas Stadium tomorrow.

The Rhinos are the surprise package of the season as they are second behind leaders JDT, thanks to their six-match unbeaten run in all competitions.

The East Malaysian side have collected 22 points from 10 matches and trail the Southern Tigers, who have a game in hand, by a point to set up a mouth-watering clash.

Sabah coach Ong Kim Swee seems to have turned his side into a formidable unit since their 2-0 loss to Kuala Lumpur City on April 16.

Remarkably, the team seem to have match-winners all over the pitch with even South Korean centreback Park Tae Su scoring three goals together with veteran hitman Amri Yahyah and skipper Baddrol Bakhtiar.

The Southern Tigers seem to have lost their bite recently in the Super League after being held to a 1-1 draw by Melaka United on July 2. The match also saw JDT's prized Brazilian hitman Bergson Da Silva substituted out with an ankle injury.

With the match poised to be a Super League classic, Kim Swee has called on his players to stay focused and be highly disciplined throughout the match.

He said a win would surely boost the Rhinos' confidence for the rest of the campaign, but acknowledged that his men would have to double their efforts against JDT.

Kim Swee added that the support of their "12th player" from the stands will be crucial, and he urged the home fans to converge on the Likas Stadium to spur Sabah to victory.

"The players must carry the momentum that they built from the earlier matches. All matches are important, more so the ones against teams like JDT," said Kim Swee.

"We should not rush in and must keep working hard if we wish to get a win, or at least a point.

"We know this is not going to be an easy match. Our players have been working hard in training.

"We will not stop after this match, because we still have more matches ahead."

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