by Shamir Osman
SINGAPORE - A Singapore-Selangor fixture of the past years would have thrown up a close encounter and displaying an array of attacking talent the envy of all. Names like Mokhtar Dahari, Zainal Abidin Hassan, Azman Adnan on one end with Dollah Kassim, Quah Kim Song and Fandi Ahmad on the other.
Separated by a single point in the Malaysian Super League (MSL) table, the two teams meet tomorrow at the Bukit Jalil Stadium but under different circumstances.
Selangor will parade their latest signing, former Croatian international striker Bosko Balanban in their attempt to lift their fortunes. V Sundramoorthy's LionsXII side have been struggling to find goals too, managing just four to Selangor's five.
But things could change for the LionsXII in March when the transfer window opens on April 2.
"There will be some changes in the squad. We will look to beef up the squad when the transfer window opens. The focus will be on attacking, but at the moment, there aren't many local attackers around," assistant coach Kadir Yahaya told Today.
"It's still early in the season, but some have achieved good marks, others still need more time, and some are struggling."
But other problems have also plagued the 29-man LionsXII squad. Today understands that the trio of Praveen Guanasagaran, Izzdin Shafiq and Gabriel Quak have not been able to train regularly with the team due to National Service commitments, with others reporting for training late, even unable to travel for away games due to the same reasons.
Injuries to Khairul Amri, Khairul Nizam, Shahdan Sulaiman and Safuwan Baharudin have also hit the team.
Yesterday's training session saw only 21 players take part in full training, not enough for a full two-sided game.
Today understands LionsXII officials have approached S-League clubs for their players, but there has been some resistance from both clubs and players.
Said Kadir: "Based on performances, injuries and National Service commitments, there will need to be changes, and we will inform the players involved soon." SHAMIR OSMAN
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