KUCHING: Kuching City FC will take a short break before scheduling friendly matches to stay sharp, as four players join their national teams following their 1-0 win over Sabah FC.
Head coach, Aidil Sharin Sahak, said the brief break is crucial for the players to recover after an intense run of fixtures, while also ensuring the squad remains sharp ahead of their upcoming FA Cup quarterfinal clash against Terengganu FC.
The two teams will meet in two weeks’ time, on October 18 (Saturday) at 9:00 pm.
“The most important thing is for us to take a break – one or two days to make sure the boys recover.
“Some players like Joao Pedro, Jordan Mintah, Haziq Nadzli, and Ramadhan Saifullah will be joining their national teams, and we always support them.
“But the other players still have to get back to where they are, keep the momentum, and work hard on the training ground to make sure they are always on par with the rest,” he added.
Aidil said the team plans to have a few friendly matches to maintain match fitness and momentum.
“It’s not always easy because, in Sabah and Sarawak, it’s hard to find quality teams for high-intensity games.
“But we’ll definitely plan and give our best for that,” he told a post-match press conference last night (Saturday).
The national call-ups mark another milestone for Kuching City – Ramadhan, Haziq, and naturalised striker, Jordan Mintah, will join the Harimau Malaya squad to face Laos on October 9, while Joao Pedro will join Timor Leste to play against the Philippines in the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers.
