Ismail warns that JDT will not make the same mistake twice against Magwe
AFC Cup
Johor Darul Ta’zim
Ismail Ibrahim wants his side to cut out the mistakes and go for all three points against Magwe
Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) takes on Magwe FC in the final group match of the 2017 AFC Cup looking to finally confirm a place in the knockout stage of the competition. JDT trailed Global FC by two points heading into the final match day and looks like they will be giving it a right go.
Global themselves will be strong favourites to pick up three points against Boeung Ket in their own final group match but JDT isn’t taking anything to chance. They want to be assured that they are there to pounce on the off chance that the Cambodian side can do the unlikely of preventing Global from a win.
Later than usual but JDT should still join the party in the knockout phase
Speaking at the pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon, JDT’s assistant coach Ismail Ibrahim warns Magwe that his side will not be taking the match lightly despite the high number of points that they have amassed thus far.
“We will pick our best starting line-up for the match against Magwe FC tomorrow [Wednesday] night to ensure us getting three points and being in a comfortable position. However, we cannot determine who will be picked yet because it depends on this [Tuesday] evening’s training session,” said Ismail during the press conference.
Doubts over the conditions of two imports are a concern for JDT but Ismail is hopeful that both Gonzalo Cabrera and Brian Ferreira can recover from their respective illnesses to be fit for selection tomorrow.
VIDEO: How JDT fare when they last met Magwe
“We will examine the condition of Cabrera and Ferreira who haven’t recovered from fever. Safawi [Rasid] cannot play tomorrow due to suspension, while Fadhli Shas is injured and cannot be fielded tomorrow. Despite that, we still have players who can replace them,” added Ismail.
Ismail and head coach Benjamin Mora will no doubt have options to select from with Azamuddin Akil, R. Gopinathan, S. Chanturu, Mahali Jasuli and Aidil Zafuan amongst those that will be looking to get some game time.
Ismail knows that his team will have to learn from the lessons they picked up during the 1-1 draw in the reverse fixture earlier in the competition and assures fans that JDT will not be hit by same lightning twice.
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“We are aware that the opponents’ strength lies in their long-ball tactic to put pressure on us and they will wait for us to commit mistakes. In fact, the goal they scored in the final minutes in the match in Myanmar was also due to our mistake. So, we will be on higher alert,” explained Ismail.
JDT versus Magwe kicks off on Wednesday 8:45pm local time.
