Terengganu: Malaysia Super League side Terengganu FC will begin their inaugural ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™ campaign in Group A against Cambodia’s Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC at Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium on Wednesday.
Terengganu have been a force to be reckoned with in Malaysian football in recent years and have made it to two domestic cup finals in as many seasons – the FA Cup in 2022 and the Malaysia Cup in 2023. And they will hope to bring their expertise in navigating knockout competitions to the Shopee Cup.
Tomislav Steinbruckner, who first arrived in Malaysia as the head coach of T-Team in 2015, returned to take charge of Terengganu FC in 2022 and has assembled a star-studded line-up who will be gunning for their first major silverware during the 2024/25 season.
The Turtles boast of some of Malaysia’s top performers in the likes of Safawi Rasid, Akhyar Rashid and Azam Azmi as well as imports like Uzbek attacking midfielder Nurillo Tukhtasinov, Nigerian striker Ismaheel Akinade and Philippines midfielder Manuel Ott.
Terengganu, who are still waiting for the return of their prolific scorer Ivan Mamut from a long-term injury, defeated fellow Shopee Cup participants Kuala Lumpur City FC 2-0 before being held to a 1-1 draw by Sri Pahang FC in their recent outings.
Svay Rieng, meanwhile, confirmed their place in the Shopee Cup through the two-legged Qualifying Round Play-offs where they defeated Young Elephants FC of Laos 8-3 on aggregate last month.
Managed by former FC Barcelona youth coach Josep Munoz, the Blue Saber were the best side in Cambodia by a distance during the 2023/24 campaign winning the Hun Sen Cup and the Cambodian Premier League titles.
They have also kicked off the new league season in style scoring 11 goals and conceding just once across wins against Ministry of Interior FA and ISI Dangkor Senchey FC in their opening fixtures.
The Svay Rieng squad is headlined by a trio of Brazilian attackers in the form of Gabriel Silva, Cristian Roque dos Santos and Pablo, who scored a hat-trick against Young Elephants in the second leg of the play-offs.
Munoz can also count on their young winger Nhean Sosidan who was also instrumental in Svay Rieng reaching the Shopee Cup tournament proper, and the Cambodian champions will hope to give Terengganu a run for their money in their tournament opener.
The group stage action in the Shopee Cup will run from August 21, 2024, to February 6, 2025, with the top two sides from both groups progressing to the last four to be held in April 2025, followed by the two-legged grand finale in May 2025.
Terengganu FC vs Preah Khan Reach Svay Rieng FC
Venue: Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium, Terengganu
Kick-off: August 21, 9 PM (Local Time)
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