Echoing his teammate Gallifuoco, Kuala Lumpur City’s hard man Akram also called on his fellow players to be wary of the threat posed by Penang when the City Boys come visiting on Saturday in Georgetown, in a fixture brought forward to accommodate the Red And White’s appearance in the AFC Cup 2022 Inter-Zone final (East Asia Region) on October 5, 2022 in Jizzakh, Uzbekistan against PFC Sogdiana, while remaining committed to the Super League calendar that was to end on October 15, 2022.
Despite the Panthers lowly position rooted at the bottom of the table with only 1 win, 13 defeats and 4 draws in their 18 league outings to date, the Kulim born native who is also known for his 120% quotes brushed aside any notions of taking it easy against the islanders.
“For me, it is not easy to play against a club like this. We can’t take them lightly. They can surprise us anytime. We must be focused in every match, no matter who we play, we’ve got to give 100%”, commenting on the challenge ahead.
Calls for Akram to return to the national fold have grown stronger of late over social media due to his battling displays in the middle of the park for the city slickers this year, but as national head coach Kim Pang Gon continues to ignore the fanboys, the 29-year old who last wore the Yellow and Black of the Harimau Malaya in October 2021 (1-5, friendly match vs Uzbekistan in Amman, Jordan), will see two of his teammates, Zhafri and Declan, being absent for this game after they were roped in by the South Korean for the 48th Kings Cup in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
According to Akram, the loss of the duo will be managed.
“We will feel their absence, but we have players who can play their positions too. It won’t be a problem for us to prepare for this game”, he said.
Relieved at being back home the past week or so since returning from the scoreless draw at Melaka United that marked the end of a long journey over 3 time-zones, 4 nations, 17,000km’s, Akram took advantage of the break with some relaxation therapy.
“All of us were given a short little break to refresh after all these back to back travels and games the past two weeks and it has done us a world of good!”
The Super League Match Day 19 fixture between Penang and Kuala Lumpur City is on Saturday, September 25 2022, at 9.00PM (2100hrs) at the City Stadium, Georgetown.
Tickets for the Super League match against Penang are available at the following link, https://www.tickethotline.com.my/
For Season Ticket Holders (B2 City Boys), enjoy direct access for purchase through the Club without the hassle and limitations of the online system (Contact Shamim for details)