Irfan Bakti backs Safiq to shine
Selangor coach Irfan Bakti has backed captain Safiq Rahim to fire his side to victory against Kelantan on Friday evening and into the final of the Malaysia Cup.
By Gabriel Tan
The 32-time champions head into Friday's semi-final second leg 1-0 down on aggregate after a 1-0 defeat last Saturday, which came courtesy of Norfarhan Muhammad's 62nd-minute winner.
However, Irfan Bakti, who admits his side weren't close to their best last week, believes they have what it takes to overturn the deficit, and is expecting a big game from the talismanic Safiq.
"I am still confident and optimistic we have what it takes to make it to the final of the Malaysia Cup," he told ESPNSTAR.com in an exclusive interview.
"Of course, our performance in Kota Bharu wasn't up to the mark, but I believe we can overcome this on Friday.
"Safiq will definitely be key for us - he was below par in the first leg. I hope this time we get more from him, especially with his distribution, as he is one of our experienced players and captain."
Kelantan are currently bidding to complete a domestic treble by winning the Malaysia Cup, to add to their victories in the Super League and the FA Cup.
Nonetheless, the Selangor boss does not believe they posed that much of a threat last time out, and is hoping his side draw for February's 2-1 league triumph over the Red Warriors at the Shah Alam Stadium.
"We will have to be wary of [Mohammed] Ghaddar and [Nurul Azwan] Roya again," Irfan Bakti added.
"But apart from those two, none of their players really gave us a dangerous moment last week. I believe we have what it takes to contain them.
"Furthermore, Kelantan's record at Shah Alam hasn't been good this season."
Selangor will definitely be without defender Nasriq Baharom, who is suspended after being sent off last Saturday, although Irfan Bakti expects Rozaimi Abdul Rahman to return and add a different dimension to their attack.