Selangor FC coach Kim Pan-gon has urged his players to overcome their growing fatigue to pick up the desired result against BG Pathum United FC on Wednesday that will secure the Malaysian club’s place in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Club Championship Shopee Cup™.
The Red Giants lead the standings ahead of their final Group A match against the Thai League 1 outfit and Kim’s side only needs a draw to confirm their place in the knockout rounds of the competition.
But with his team in the midst of a demanding run of matches in both domestic and regional competition, the former Malaysia and Ulsan HD coach is mindful of the physical demands being placed on his squad.
“We all know how crucial this game is for our club, for our Red Giants supporters, for Selangor, and also for Malaysian football,” said Kim, who led Selangor to a 2-0 win over Công An Hà Nội FC last week with forward Faisal Halim netting a brace. “Everyone understands the importance of this match.
“Physically, the players are still tired due to a tough schedule, but this cannot disturb us. I believe the players’ passion and desire are stronger than the tiredness.
“I am confident they can overcome this difficult situation, and hopefully tomorrow we can put in a strong performance and give our fans a victory.”
A point will confirm Selangor’s progress while a win would guarantee Kim’s team finish in first place in the standings, but the 56-year-old is not underestimating the challenge his side faces against a BG Pathum United side that can also qualify with a win.
“BG Pathum United are one of the stronger teams in this region and deserve our full respect,” he said. “They are very well organised and have a high level of technical quality. It will be a tough challenge.
“We have studied their strengths, but at the same time we will focus on using our own strengths. We are building our identity and our DNA as a team.
“We will not step back tomorrow — we want to show our Red Giants what our strengths are and make them proud.”
BG Pathum United head coach Masatada Ishii knows his team’s fate lies in their own hands as they seek to qualify for the semi-finals of the Shopee Cup™ for the second successive season. He is delighted to have a full squad available for the crucial match, which comes on the heels of a 2-0 win over DH Cebu last week, thanks to goals by Kritsada Kaman and Ikhsan Fandi.
"At the moment, we do not have any suspensions or injury concerns, which allows us to select our strongest possible team for tomorrow’s match,” said Ishii.
"Selangor FC have a very strong attacking side and good quality in defence as well. They press very high, very aggressively and they are well organised. These are things we must be very careful about. This is a very important match for us. We have done a lot of preparation, including detailed video analysis sessions with the players and coaching staff to identify areas we can exploit.
"We hope the hard work we have put in will pay off and help us secure the three points needed to qualify for the next stage."
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