The Malaysia Super League (MSL) returned to action last night with FELDA United defeating Terengganu 4-1 in Kuala Terengganu to head to the summit of the league. However, the highlight for tonight is when Kedah will travel to the Selayang Stadium to face arch-rivals Selangor, who beat Tan Cheng Hoe’s man in last season’s Malaysia Cup final.
Selangor won the Malaysia Cup for a record 33 times when they brought down Kedah 2-0 at the Shah Alam Stadium four months ago, courtesy of a brace from Ahmad Hazwan Bakri.
The match tonight would be perfect for the Red Hawks to get some revenge for the loss they suffered last season, but Tan Cheng Hoe just wants his players to achieve a positive result.
“The last time we faced Selangor was during the final of the Malaysia Cup last December,” he said as quoted by Utusan Malaysia.
“Unfortunately, I think Selangor’s squad grew stronger since last year because Zainal Abidin Hassan took over the head coach position and he introduced a couple of quality signings.
“The match tonight will be tight but I know my players will give their everything.
“We have to learn from our defeat and try to get a good result tonight,” Cheng Hoe added.
Kedah will be without Baddrol Bakhtiar and Ariff Farhan Md Isa whereas Sandro da Silva is a doubt for tonight’s match. Robert Cornthwaite returns to the Selangor squad after a lengthy layoff from injury and the loss of his daughter soon after she was brought into the world.
WHAT DO WE THINK?
Kedah have surprised many critics after losing only once in five games this season. The newly-promoted Premier League champions currently have showed glimpses of great football with the help from the likes of Liridon Krasniqi, Carlos Kahe, Sandro and Baddrol Bakhtiar. However, Kedah will have a tough time breaking down a reasonably strong Selangor squad, who have been inconsistent over their past few games, especially with the return of Robert Cornthwaite in the heart of the Red Giants defence. Tan Cheng Hoe will have to rely on his attacking threat to do most of the damage but will hope that his defensive unit can handle the likes of Patrick Ronaldinho Wleh, Mauro Olivi, Andik Vermansyah and R. Gopinathan.
It is likely that Kedah can get a result tonight, but they will have to be on their toes from the get go to avoid any mishaps from occurring because Zainal Abidin will be hungry for a win.
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