Kota Kinabalu: Sabah FC’s round of 16 FA Cup tie against KL Rovers FC at the Likas Stadium tonight may open the door for some of their reserves to shine.
This followed revelation by Datuk Ong Kim Swee that a few of the first team players may not be able to make the list due to lack of fitness.
This includes defender Gabriel Peres, and striker Darren Lok, as both are yet to recover fully from injury.
Both players also did not travel with the team to Jakarta for the RCTI Premium Sports 2024 football tournament late last month.
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Ong said on Friday that he would only make the final decision on the duo today after checking on their fitness level.
He called on the other players to get ready to fill in their shoes if they are not available.
“Their absence will certainly provide other players an opportunity to show their ability to ensure Sabah FC can advance to the next round.
“We want all players to be ready to the call up at any time, and to produce a performance that they can be proud of.
“If they fail to achieve that, then they will most likely fall behind the pecking order to other players in the team,” he said.
He added that they will also be monitoring players in several other positions to be certain that they are able to fill in immediately if any of the key players suffered prolonged injuries during the long Super League season.
Despite the prospect of missing several key players for the match, Ong is hoping the players called upon can deliver the goods.
“It is a very important match for Sabah FC. The players must stay focused and hopefully we can get a positive result.”
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