Kuching target first ACL2 win as Gangwon visit amid losing run
Coach Aidil Sharin Sahak must also prepare for an FA Cup semi-final return against Selangor three days after the continental fixture.
Kuching City will attempt to end a run of three defeats when they welcome Gangwon to Taha Ariffin Stadium, with their first victory in AFC Champions League Two (ACL2) still elusive. The Malaysian side are bottom of Group H after three games, with a draw and two losses yielding one point.
Coach Aidil Sharin Sahak said he expected the home encounter to differ from the meeting in Gangneung, where the South Korean club won 1-0. He said his players had learned from that defeat and believed Kuching's weather and the opportunity to play at home could help his team.
The losing sequence started with a 3-2 Super League defeat against Brunei DPMM. Kuching then lost 2-1 to Selangor on Oct 23 in the opening leg of their FA Cup semi-final, before the loss to Gangwon.
The Gangwon fixture comes three days before Kuching face Selangor again in the cup. They need to recover from that first-leg deficit to remain in the competition, leaving Aidil to consider how to distribute playing time across the two matches.
