UniKL-Maybank: Explosive encounter

KUALA Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) will cruise into the semi-finals, that is a fact, but the other three last-eight matches of the TNB-Malaysia Hockey League are expected to go to the wire.
KLHC,who romped away with the Charity Shield and League title, are expected to maul Division One champions SSTMI-Thunderbolt to the tune of double digits in the two leg quarters which start tomorrow.
However, Maybank and UniKL are expected to be the closest as they drew 2-2 in the League, while Tenaga Nasional beat Yayasan Negri Sembilan 3-0.
The last quarters is between Sapura and Nur Insafi, and the League score of 7-1 in favour of Sapura should not be taken into account.
The Maybank-UniKL clash will be the most exciting, as both teams have some youthful talent on their side.
Maybank can also rely on experienced hands in Hairul Nizam and Zulhairi Hashim -- who have proven to be a deadly penalty corner battery.
“It will be close, so every chance that comes our way must not be wasted. I expect UniKL to play their usual fast attacking hockey, which might only allow us to rely on counter attacks for goals,” said Maybank coach Wallace Tan.
The fact that the University side used their speed effectively to rob two points off Maybank has not been forgotten by Wallace: “They did that (playing at a high tempo) with devastating effect in the League and my players now know that we can’t take them for granted as they have some talented youngsters who can’t be allowed to roam freely.”
UniKL, dogged by a doping scandal, hope to ride on their surprise fifth finish in the highly competitive League.
“We have had some issues, but that is all behind us as we prepare for the knock-our stage. Reaching the last four is our target now and to achieve it, we need to seal it in the first leg itself,” said UniKL team manager Amir Azhar.
“We are quite comfortable with playing Maybank, and our guide to upsetting them will be learning how they sidestepped Tenaga Nasional (Maybank won 2-1) and plug ging the loopholes in their strategy,” said Amir.
However, the winner of the Maybank-UniKL match will face a torrid semi-finals as they will surely meet KLHC.
The other half of the draw is much kinder to teams who advance to the semis.
WEDNESDAY -- Quarter-finals (first leg): KL Hockey Club v SSTMI-Thunderbolt (KLHA Stadium, 6pm), UniKL v May bank (National Stadium Pitch II, 4pm), Sapura v Nur Insafi (National Stadium Pitch II, 6pm), Tenaga Nasional v Yayasan NS (National Stadium Pitch II, 8pm)
FRIDAY (second leg): SSTMI-Thunderbolt v KL Hockey Club (KLHA Stadium, 6pm).
SATURDAY (second leg): Nur Insafi v Sapura (National Stadium Pitch 1, 6pm), Yayasan NS v Tenaga Nasional (National Stadium Pitch II, 6pm), Maybank v UniKL (National Stadium Pitch II, 8pm).