TFC Need To Score Early To Keep FA Cup Final Hopes Alive

KUALA TERENGGANU, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- Terengganu FC (TFC) head coach Tomislav Steinbruckner wants his men to try to hunt for an early goal in the FA Cup second leg semi-final match against Selangor FC, tomorrow night.

Steinbruckner said an early one-goal lead at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium (MBPJ) was not only a big advantage, it will also guarantee the Turtles a slot in the final of the prestigious cup.

Therefore, the Croatian-born manager wants his men to play according to the plan and not adopt a defensive style to get more goals.

"One goal advantage is not too big... but not too small. We will play like usual and try to score as many goals as we can. Early goal would be good if we want to go to the final," he said when contacted today this.

In the meantime, Steinbruckner said the current Turtles squad is still facing injury and player fitness issues after going through a relatively tight league match schedule.

However, he did not want the players to use the issue as an excuse not to show their best performance in the important match later.

According to him, besides physical preparation, the players also need to strengthen each other mentally to ensure that the mission of advancing to the final stage is achieved after being stuck at the same level last season.

"Alif (Alif Zakaria) is totally out because of ankle injury. Ismaheel (Ismaheel Akinade) probably will be okay and will be coming back tomorrow. Who will replace Alif we will see... I do have some solutions in my mind," he said.

-- BERNAMA