Irfan Zakaria and James Okwuosa still injured before Kuching City FC's ASEAN Club Championship opener

Kuching City FC are without Irfan Zakaria and James Okwuosa, both still injured, MFL said on 30 September. Jimmy Raymond needs more time to come back from injury but is making progress, the same release says. Other players are away with Harimau Malaya, and Aidil Sharin Sahak said he would look again at who was available before picking a side for the friendly against Sabah FC.

MFL says the coach needs plans ready so that the players he does have can make an impact. The club’s ASEAN Club Championship campaign opens against Tampines Rovers at Taha Ariffin Stadium on 7 October.

Aidil said he wanted to put right the weaknesses he had seen in the Malaysia Super League and the Malaysia FA Cup, and to hold on to what the side does well. The friendly is also Kuching City FC’s first outing at Taha Ariffin Stadium this season, in front of their own supporters. Aidil said the players had ninety minutes at home to prove themselves and keep the intensity up.

On the Malaysia FA Cup quarter-final, Aidil wants his players to take the lesson of the drawn first leg against Kelantan City FC and to take no opponent lightly, MFL says. The second leg follows on 10 October.

Related

• Rodney Celvin wants Kuching City FC to show a smaller club can fight the region’s best