SSPL: KB Muar Tidak Kisah Jumpa Siapa
January 12, 2017
Mas Huzaimah, Nurul Shafiqa among 18 picked
January 12, 2017
KUALA LUMPUR (12 January, 2017): The top six teams of the SS Purple League (SSPL) 2016/17 Stage 1 are ready to battle it out in the league’s second phase after learning their fates during the SSPL 2016/17 Draw Ceremony which took place in Pearl International Hotel, Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The six clubs – Muar BC, Puchong United BC, Ampang Jaya BC, BU Dragons BC, Petaling BC and Petaling Jaya BC will be playing for the coveted SSPL 2016/17 trophy in Genting Highlands next month, from the 9 to 12 February.
First and second placed – Muar and BU Dragons – received byes and qualify for the semi-finals while the other four clubs will play playoffs.
Ampang Jaya will be taking on Puchong United in the first playoff match. Both teams are in the same bracket as Muar BC while the other playoff match will see Petaling go head to head against Petaling Jaya. The winner of the Petaling derby will meet BU Dragons in the other semi-final.
Despite finishing top in Stage 1 of the SSPL 2016/17, Muar coach’s Nova Armada wants his players to remain grounded and not overconfident because he feels that every club has an equal chance of lifting the trophy.
“We might only need to win one game to enter the final, but it won’t be easy because it is the knockout stage. Whatever it is, I hope my team can perform to its full potential and repeat our success from two seasons ago,” said the Indonesian coach.
Speaking on the draw, Nova predicted that his team is more likely to face Puchong United in the semi-finals. But he is still wary of the possibility of facing Ampang Jaya as the Johoreans lost to the side from Ampang during Stage 1 of the SSPL 2016/17.
“Yes, we are more likely to face them (Puchong United) in the semi-final. They have many talented local players. In addition to that, each team is allowed to make changes to their squad during the month long break so I am sure that they will sign some quality players as well as they are capable of that,” said Nova.
“For us, we are also looking at some players to beef up our squad. We are looking to sign a South Korean player but the finalisation of it will take some time,” added Nova.
Meanwhile, the bottom four clubs – Kepong BC, Serdang BC, Bangsar Hawks BC and Klang City BC will be playing playoff matches to determine their final places. Kepong BC will play bottom club, Klang City while Serdang and Bangsar Hawks face each other.
SSPL 2016/17 Stage 2 Fixtures
Top 6 Pool:
9 February 2017 (Thursday)
(4pm) Puchong United BC vs Ampang Jaya BC
(8pm) Petaling BC vs Petaling Jaya BC
10 February 2017 (Friday)
(4pm) Semi-Final #1: Muar BC vs Puchong United BC/Ampang Jaya BC
(8pm) Semi-Final #2: BU Dragons vs Petaling BC/Petaling Jaya BC
12 February 2017 (Sunday)
(2pm) Final
Bottom 4 Pool:
9 February 2017 (Thursday)
(12pm) Kepong BC vs Klang City BC
10 February 2017 (Friday)
(12pm) Serdang BC vs Bangsar Hawks BC
12 February 2017 (Sunday)
(10am) Kepong BC/Klang City BC vs Serdang BC/Bangsar Hawks BC
