Friday 23 September 2011

Terengganu confident of beating PKNS and Negeri Sembilan

Terengganu are confident they can get the all-important point from the two remaining outings – against PKNS and Negri Sembilan – to confirm their Malaysia Cup quarter-final tickets.

Terengganu are joint leaders in Group B with Negri Sembilan on nine points, followed by Selangor PKNS on six points and the winless Sime Darby.

But that doesn’t mean coach Irfan Bakti is ready to settle for a draw when his Turtles take on PKNS at the MBPJ Stadium in Kelana Jaya tomorrow.

“PKNS may be just a club side but we must not underestimate them. They are, after all, the Premier League champions and they also stunned Negri 2-0 last Saturday,” Irfan said in a telephone interview from Kuala Terengganu yesterday.

“So, we cannot take them lightly or we will suffer the same fate as Negri Sembilan.”

Irfan is also aware that his side only narrowly managed to overcome PKNS 3-2 in the first round at the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu on Sept 10.

That, and his side’s laboured 1-0 win over Sime Darby last Saturday, is enough for him to warn his men not to be too complacent against PKNS.

“The fact is we have enough experience and talent in the team to get the job done.
“I am confident we can confirm our place in the knockout stage on Saturday (against PKNS),” he said.

And Irfan will be counting on the likes of Hadi Yahya, Joseph Kallang, Manaf Mamat, Mohd Ashaari Shamsuddin and Reeshafiq Alwi to help make their quarter-final dream a reality when the Malaysia Cup campaign resumes tomorrow after the week-long break.

As for PKNS, they must beat Terengganu if they want to keep their quarter-final hopes alive.
So, the stage is set for an intriguing clash.

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