Selangor has a proud record in the Malaysia Cup and winning the prestigious silverware 33-times speaks of the Red Giants who face a mammoth task when they face six-time Malaysian Super League Champions Johor Darul Takzim in the two-leg semi-finals.
The first-leg semi-final will be played at the Larkin Stadium – Home of the Southern Tigers – in Johor Bahru on Oct 19.
Selangor head coach B. Satianathan will have his full squad in his lap of preparations with the return of international Khairul Azhan Khalid (goalkeeper) and midfielder Halim Saari and Syahmi Safari from international duty.
The trio was in the national squad that faced Vietnam in Hanoi in the World Cup 2022/Asia Cup 2023 qualifier at the My Dinh Stadium. Halim and Syahmi featured in the match which Malaysia lost 1-0.
The rain has also affected Selangor’s training of late but Satianathan is pleased that he will have his full squad with the return of Khairul, Halim, and Syahmi.
The Red Giants played a friendly, which ended in a 2-2 draw, against Negri Sembilan at the PKNS field on Friday.
“We are playing the strongest team and you have to be fully prepared for the match (against JDT). You have to be mentally and physically strong to face JDT,” said Satianathan on Saturday.
“It is tough but we have to be up to the challenge. You need to be ready in every aspect of the game to take on JDT. JDT has a squad with equal strength on the bench. That is a plus factor for JDT.
Our previous encounters did not favor us but we have grown tougher with each match. Knocking out defending champions Perak in the semi-finals is a morale booster for Selangor and we have to ride on this momentum. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
