Football

Turtles take on Stallions for second round AFC ticket

KUALA LUMPUR: Terengganu coach Tomislav Steinbruckner is looking to seal his team's berth in the second round of the AFC Cup when they meet Stallion Laguna of the Philippines in Group G at the Binan Stadium tomorrow.

The Turtles are currently second in Group G after one win and two draws, behind leaders Central Coast Mariners of Australia. A win will put Terengganu on track to reach the zonal semi-finals.

The Stallions are bottom of the group with a point, while Bali United are third with four points.

Steinbruckner's men are unbeaten in their last five matches and had just knocked out Kuala Lumpur City 4-2 on aggregate in the Malaysia Cup semi-finals last week.

But the win came at a price with injuries to defenders Shahrul Nizam Ros Hasni, Alif Zakaria and midfielder Liridon Krasniqi.

Terengganu's last match against Stallion ended with a 2-2 draw in Kuala Terengganu on Oct 26 and the Filipino side were knocked out in the semi-finals of the Copa Paulino Alcantara last week.

The wily Steinbruckner said: "It's a new match, a new challenge for us.

"We expect a good game and collect some points but it's not going to be an easy task."

"We have some problems with injuries but I believe our players will give their best."

The Croatian coach said although he has analysed Stallion's matches, his preparations are more focused on his team.

"Stallions are a good team, but I don't look into the opponents.

"I expect a similar match like the first match, maybe it would be tougher," he said.

Most Popular
Related Article
Says Stories