The first Turtle Derby will take place tomorrow with Terengganu hosting PBDKT T-Team at their shared ground, the Sultan Ismail Nasiruddin Shah Stadium in Kuala Terengganu. The current Super League leader know that a defeat will see them relinquishing the lead to Kelantan who are expected to get a positive result from their trip to Alor Setar to face a struggling Kedah side.
T-Team who lost their perfect record after being held to a 0-0 draw by Sabah on Tuesday are looking forward to continue their good start to the season at the expense of Terengganu. However there are a bit of concerns regarding their foreign striker, Zachariah Simukonda who despite already scoring one goal this season, seemed to be playing below par in all three matches he started so far.
Head Coach Yunus Alif already indicated that he will have to sort things out with the lanky African if his performance does not rise to the level expected from an experienced player like him. With players like Zairo Anuar Zalani and Faiz Subri who could create chances for him, he is expected to show a more clinical performance in front of goal.
Another foreign player in T-Team's book is in the opposite situation to Simukonda. Bosnian defender Bojan Petric has been a rock in the heart of the club defence which has kept three consecutive clean sheets now. However Petric's ability will be severely tested when he comes face to face with Terengganu's Francis Doe.
Doe who scored the only goal of the match on his competitive debut in Sarawak on Tuesday will be looking forward to add to his tally after being kept on the leash for so long due to the 'registration controversy' involving Terengganu and the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The Liberian brings a new dimension to The Turtles attack with his tenacity and good close control and his good vision could bring others into play too. After his goalscoring performance in Kuching, Terengganu fans will surely be looking forward to see the man they call 'Grandpa' back home in Liberia in action.
Another player looking forward to make his home debut is Erison Da Silva or better known as 'Baiano' who also contributed greatly to the win in Kuching, especially with his goal-line clearance that prevented Sarawak from scoring their equaliser. An aggressive midfielder, he also has an eye for a good pass.
As for T-Team, they know they have to win against their so called 'big brother' in order to maintain their stay at the top of the Super League and it will be no surprise if there are going to be a few tense moments as both sets of players will try to get the better of each other.
Other fixtures will see Selangor and Negeri Sembilan will try getting back on winnings ways against Sarawak and KL Felda United respectively. The Red Giants who were shocked by Felda on Tuesday are hoping their home advantage will count against The Crocs who are yet to win away this season.
Felda also are yet to win on their travels with a 3-0 defeat in Kuala Terengganu are still fresh on their mind. The Settlers will have to be at their best to get a good result against Negeri Sembilan who enjoy playing in front of their home crowd.
Sabah will take the positives from their draw against T-Team on Tuesday to make sure all three points will stay in Kota Kinabalu when they take on Singapore Lions XII. A win for the Sabahawks is going to be the perfect birthday present for their Head Coach, Justin Ganai who turns 56 today.
Johor FC are yet to collect any point at home and are hoping for a good result against Perak when the two meet at the Pasir Gudang Municipal Stadium tonight. The Bees were looking good for a point against Kelantan on Tuesday until Norshahrul Idlan Talaha scored winner for The Stags. Against The Buffaloes they hope to make good use of their home advantage and get all three points.
Bottom team Kuala Lumpur are hosting PKNS FC at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka for the only afternoon kick-off of the weekend. With both teams are yet to win this season, they are looking at this fixture as the best point to start winning especially both teams are propping up the rest of the table along with Kedah.
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