DBasia.news – The return of the four major Kedah players is expected to be able to ‘save’ the Red Eagles team from being eliminated in the Malaysia Cup this season.
Baddrol Bakhtiar, Rizal Ghazali, Akhyar Rashid and Ifwat Akmal Che Kassim were not with the Helang Merah throughout the Malaysia Cup after joining the Asian Games since July 30.
The absence of them had a major impact on Kedah who were seen struggling in the Group C competition which also invited the Kedah Football Association (KFA) to let its head coach Nidzam Adzha Yusoff rest on Aug 18.
Kedah assistant chief coach Azzmi Aziz, who is currently replacing Nidzam’s place, said he was still uncertain about the four players after returning from the Asian Games.
“We haven’t got any feedback from them. It depends on the needs and if possible, they will definitely strengthen the team, “he said after the match against MIFA at the Petaling Jaya City Council Stadium last night.
Kedah missed the golden opportunity to earn three points after a 2-2 draw when MIFA was forced to play with 10 players during the second half.
In fact, Paulo Rangel that was put in the front-line was disappointing after failing to make a big contribution to the Red Eagles throughout the game.
Azzmi however retains Rangel by describing the Brazilian-born player already did his best.
“He’s already given his best. He has not played since recovering from injury and last week he has not yet fully trained with the team, “he said.
MIFA now lead the group with seven points from the match results yesterday followed by Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) who collected six points in second round.
Kedah took five points, while Kelantan occupied the top spot with four points after four matches.