TENAGA Nasional will play their game of the season Tuesday, as coach Amin Rahim is all fired up to claim the inaugural Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup.
Tenaga will square off against Sapura at the Tun Razak Stadium, and even though statistics do not favour Amin and his men, they do not want to let go of the only trophy they can claim this season.
Sapura beat Tenaga 2-1 twice in the Malaysia Hockey League Premier Division home-and-away matches, and are tops on the standings.
Tenaga are at the bottom of the Premier Division Standings, with only three draws and no wins to show.
"We lost narrowly to Sapura in the MHL not because we were not good, but because Sapura were lucky both times. But in the Alagendra Cup final, luck will no longer matter as we aim to give our very best to claim the only trophy that we can this season," said Amin.
Tenaga have the right to brag, because they they beat University Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) 3-2 in the quarter-finals, and did the unthinkable by beating last season's double champions Terengganu Hockey Team (THT) 3-2 to earn the final ticket.
"We went through a tough route, ans after my players beat THT in the semis, nothing is impossible anymore," said Amin.
Tenaga top-scorer Syed Syafiq Cholan, with five goals to his name, delivered two goals in that crucial win.
"The team is really raring to set the record straight against Sapura, as we played much better but lost both the earlier matches. This is a golden chance which no player in our team wants to let slip from their fingers," said Syed Syafiq.
Sapura coach Yahya Atan downplayed their chances.
"Yes, both the League matches were close and I expect the Alagendra Cup final to be the same. We must not allow the youth in Tenaga to over-run us. It will be a cracker for sure, and I believe we will prevail for the third time this season."
TUESDAY: Tan Sri P. Alagendra Cup: Final -- Sapura v Tenaga Nasional (8pm, Tun Razak Stadium).
