FA CUP: WOUNDED JDT BRACE FOR HIGH-STAKES FINAL AGAINST SABAH

KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 13 (Bernama) -- Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) are facing an injury and suspension crisis ahead of the FA Cup final against Sabah FC, but head coach Xisco Munoz is not overly perturbed.

He believes the Southern Tigers squad depth and clear identity will be enough to defend their FA Cup title.

“We lost almost 50 per cent of our important players, yet we kept going and won every single game. If this happened at another club, maybe it would be chaos.

“As I always say, we have a good squad. So it’s important for tomorrow’s match that whoever is selected gives their best and follows our style of play,” he said at the pre-match press conference at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium here today.

JDT are currently without suspended trio Hector Hevel, Joao Figueiredo and Jon Irazabal, while their injury list includes Arif Aiman Mohd Hanapi, Bergson da Silva, Romel Morales and Juan Muniz.

Meanwhile, Munoz admitted that Sabah’s current form cannot be underestimated, particularly after their impressive semi-final victory over Selangor.

“We know what they are doing tactically — how they move, their capabilities and how they eliminated Selangor.

“We need to give our best performance and, most importantly, we need to start the game the way JDT usually do,” he said.

JDT captain Natxo Insa, meanwhile, remained positive despite the setback and believes the available players can step up and make their mark.

“This is football and sometimes bad things (happen) to one player while good things (happen) for another. 

“We have a big squad and we are performing. So we need to take it like a challenge and show that, regardless of who plays, the team can still deliver at the highest level,” he said.

-- BERNAMA