Kim Pan Gon confirms the Selangor captain needs more recovery time, with the Red Giants refusing to risk his fitness ahead of crucial fixtures.
SELANGOR FC face a tricky test against Penang FC in the Malaysian Super League without captain Faisal Halim, with head coach Kim Pan Gon confirming that the forward needs more time to recover from a serious injury.
Kim said the Red Giants would take a cautious approach to Faisal’s recovery, stressing the importance of protecting their players with several crucial matches still to come this season.
“Faisal Halim’s case will take more time as his injury is quite serious. We also need to protect our players at this moment because we have a couple of important games coming up this season,” he said.
Faisal sustained tendon and right calf muscle injuries while representing Malaysia in their Fifa Asean Cup 2026 Group A match against Indonesia on Sept 29, forcing him to miss the remainder of the tournament.
Meanwhile, Kim acknowledged that Penang would pose a tough challenge, highlighting their attacking threat and defensive solidity.
“We’ve analysed Penang and they have a very good strong attacking side. They are also very strong defensively, so we have put a lot of effort into our attacking play while also working on how to stop their attackers,” he said.
Kim admitted the match would be a tough test but backed his players to deliver a strong performance in front of their home fans.
He also revealed that Selangor had several options to replace Faisal, but declined to name his preferred candidate.
“We have a couple of candidates. Let’s see during the game,” he said.
Despite the recent poor air quality, Kim said Selangor had worked hard in training, recognising the importance of home matches to both the team and its supporters.
Selangor will host Penang at Stadium MBPJ on Saturday, Oct 17, aiming to maintain their strong start to the Malaysia Super League season.
The Red Giants sit third in the standings with 12 points from four matches, having won all four games, scored 10 goals and conceded three.
Penang, meanwhile, are ninth with four points from four matches.