Malaysia Cup: Black Panthers all set for Sunday

GEORGE TOWN, Sept 24 -- The Black Panthers are ready for the oldest tournament in South-East Asia, the Malaysia Cup, by opening their campaign against Sarawak United FC on Sunday at the Penang City Stadium.

Penang FC head coach Tomas Trucha admitted that his team was under pressure after clinching third place in the Super League 2021 but he considered it as a positive one.

"I am confident that the next match will be more challenging, especially when facing teams that have shown a good performance. There are also teams that want to redeem themselves, so the challenge is high for Penang FC," he told Bernama in an interview via Zoom application today.

Commenting further, Trucha said he did not have a fixed list of players who will be the first eleven and reserves, because it depends on their performance and hard work during training and friendly matches.

He also did not set a specific target for this year’s Malaysia Cup competition but instead wanted to focus on each match.

Trucha said the main challenge of being the head coach was to ensure that all players were always motivated.

“I can see that the players are all motivated, enthusiastic, hard working as well as always support and help each other. It is very important for the team to work as a family, it is invaluable,” he said.

He also expressed his gratitude to Johor Darul Ta'zim Football Club (JDT) owner Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim for listing Penang FC as among the teams that had shown the best performance throughout the Super League this season.

Penang FC are drawn in Group A alongside Sarawak United FC, Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC and Sri Pahang FC.

In 2019, the Black Panthers squad’s Malaysia Cup campaign ended in group stage.

-- BERNAMA