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| International duo back for Perak |
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| Malaysia midfielder Mohammad Hardi Jaafar has returned from the national team's training camp to bolster Perak's AFC Cup charge. (AFP). |
IPOH - Perak coach Steve Darby received a welcome boost ahead of his side's AFC Cup quarter-final clash against Safa with the news that two of his key players will be available for selection.
Darby confirmed that defender S. Subramaniam and midfielder Mohammad Hardi Jaafar, scorer of a sublime goal in Perak’s 2-0 win over Singapore Armed Forces, were released by Malaysia coach B. Sathianathan from the national team’s training camp in Slovakia.
And while they have to make do without the services of young international striker Ahmad Fakri Saarani, who has not made the trip back from Europe, they will be able to at least field one foreigner in Mario Berrios.
The Chilean midfielder has decided to stay behind for the game against Safa even though the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) had recently decided against using foreign players for the new 2008/2009 season.
And coach Darby admitted the availability of his key players is a welcome boost, especially amidst all the negative reports surrounding the financial status of the club recently.
"It is certainly good news that we can at least use these three players for the match against Safa,” he said.
“There's been a lot of negativity surrounding the Perak team of late and in this quarter-final clash we certainly could do with the help.
"The spirit in the team has been great in spite of the financial issue and I believe that everyone is raring for this one game. I hope that the fans will be there to support us.
"We have seen tapes of Safa and just like most teams from the Middle East, they are a physically strong side. Our aim will be just like in all the matches we play, which is to win."
Meanwhile, Safa coach Saad Samir believes the humidity in the region will make it difficult for his players to play at their best.
"Everything is perfect at the moment although we are a little concerned about the humidity,” he said.
"We have played in South East Asia before but since we are playing this game late at night, there's the possibility of high humidity which we are a little worried about even though we arrived two days before the game.
"I believe that we are strong defensively but this is the first time we are playing against Perak, which I believe is one of the stronger teams in the region."
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