Kota Kinabalu: A crucial encounter awaits Sabah at the Sultan Mohamad Ke-IV Stadium as they prepare to take on second-position Kelantan in their President's Cup Group A encounter in Kota Bharu, today.
A similar test against former second place holders KL Sime Darby earlier in the season saw Sabah tested to the limits.
And if that defeat is anything to go by then Justin Ganai's boys will know to expect a tough match against the current number two team today.
Sabah is six points clear of Kelantan. But with the latter having a game in hand, Justin will want his charges to at least be able to steal a point if not take all three with a victory.
A truly crucial match it will be for both teams as the outcome could potentially decide which direction they head to in the end.
For Sabah, the match presents a good chance to extend their lead to move one step closer to qualification, while for Kelantan, this will be a good chance as any to try and reduce the gap between them.
Victory for the hosts could later see Sabah being overthrown from the top spot so Justin and his boys must tread carefully to avoid any disappointments.
But as records show, Sabah will enter the fight with sharper edge to show for their blade, as they won the previous encounter 3-0 in the first round here. Md Rozaimi Abd Rahman scored two goals and Rosyamrin Wasli netted the other.
Justin, however, will ask for more from his boys than to just go by the previous victory as their yardstick.
"Yes we beat them 3-0 in the first round but that was early in the season.
I'm sure Kelantan has improved now. They are second in the standings and we cannot ignore that fact because that shows they are a good side.
"We must be cautious, especially considering the fact that they are playing at home," said the Sabah coach when contacted yesterday.
On the tactical aspect of things, not much was revealed by Justin, apart from saying that the team must try to keep possession.
He said the team made things hard for themselves during their previous game with too many long passes.
"The long balls is not really our greatest strength and the boys played too many of that in our last game, which ended up making things difficult for us," said Justin.
Yet despite their trials, Sabah still managed to emerge triumphant, fighting back from a goal down before eventually claiming the 2-1 victory over Selangor, here.
Justin does however have a few concerns. The team's tendency to start poorly is one of them.
Nonetheless, the man from Kiulu still wages his confidence on the ability of his boys to deliver when victory is needed most.
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