KOTA BARU, Oct 30 ― Malaysia Cup defending champion Kelantan admitted that the loss of their main defender Obinna Nwaneri for the Malaysia Cup final against Pahang on Sunday, due to suspension will be sorely felt.       

However, Kelantan coach Bojan Hodak remains optimistic that his preparations for the final would not be disrupted by the defenders absence since he can rely on a number of experienced players in the squad who have featured in a number of finals for the treble winners, last season.

“We will certainly have a problem due to Obinna’s absence since he is a pillar of strength and a leader in defence but again I feel we have a balanced squad with several experienced players.

“When you are winning...like we won everything last year and we won the FA Cup this year. I don’t think that the players will be under pressure anymore... one more trophy will be a plus but there is no real pressure that we must win this,” he said when met, here, today.

Hodak however, urged his players to be aware of Pahang’s Argentinean import Mathias Conti, Azamuddin Akil, R. Gopinathan and Mohd Amirul Hadi Zainal as these players have their own unique skills and could easily penetrate any defence, including that of Kelantan.

“All these are dangerous and good in one-on-one positions. All of them are fast and they can decide the game. They also have defender Damion Delano Stewart who is dangerous in set pieces,” he said.

Hodak though expects a balanced match against Pahang since both teams have an equal chance of winning the prestigious trophy.

“Our advantage is that Pahang’s last Malaysia Cup title win was in 1992 and the fact that they have several inexperienced players at this (Malaysia Cup final) stage,” he said. ― Bernama