BY ZULHILMI ZAINAL Follow on Twitter
The final matchday of the 2017 Malaysia Cup group stage is set to take place this Saturday, and one of the encounters set to garner fans' attention is surely the one at the Larkin Stadium, between Group D leaders Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) and Selangor.
The two sides have already confirmed their places in the quarter-finals, but both are tied on 10 points and will be looking to finish the group stage as group winners, and grab the more advantageous qualifying slot.
As the home side have the better goal difference, they need only a draw on Saturday, while the visitors need a win in order to snatch the top spot.
The Southern Tigers are undoubtedly the team to beat this season (as well as in the past few years), having confirmed their fourth consecutive Super League title with three rounds to spare, but this season only the Red Giants have proven capable of matching them.
This season alone they have met three times, with Selangor having won twice and the remaining encounter having ended in a draw, an astonishing record for the 33-time Malaysia Cup champions considering that before 2017, the last time they were able to defeat JDT was back in 2013.
JDT's recent record is four wins and one defeat, with the defeat recorded just before the break in domestic competitions. Coincidentally, the 2-1 defeat came at the hands of Selangor in their August 5 league encounter, although it was not enough to stop them from confirming their 2017 league win.
But when their recent records are separated by home and away results, it is apparent that Selangor have an uphill battle this Saturday. JDT have not lost at home in all competitions since November 2015, while Selangor's past five away matches have ended in three wins, one draw and one defeat.
But these records have not deterred Selangor head coach Maniam Pachaiappan. When met by Goal on Thursday after his team's training, Maniam, a coach who usually prefers to let his work do the talking for him, remarked that he wants to make history this Saturday.
By the word 'history' he could either mean defeating JDT for a third consecutive time, or handing them their first home defeat since 2015, but both outcomes require the visitors defeating the home side this Saturday.
And in order to do that, he is prepared to ditch the pragmatic, defensive football his side have been known to resort to when playing away games to tough opponents, he added.
This is because he will have almost all of his first team players on Saturday; including former JDT man Amri Yahyah and the previously injured Spanish forward Rufino Segovia (Rufino was absent both times Selangor beat JDT in July and August). Goalkeeper Khairul Azhan Khalid is down with fever, while Raimi Noor is out due to a knee injury. None of Maniam's men is suspended for this match.
Meanwhile, JDT boss Ulisses Morais will surely want to avoid having his team upset by the same side for the third time in a row, although that may be a little tougher this time around. Their two key centre backs; Fadhli Shas and Marcos Antonio are out injured, which means they are prone to attacks by Selangor forwards; who this season have put in their best performances when they play JDT.
Although Saturday will offer a number of tantalising encounters to fans, the one at Larkin is expected to garner most of the attention. Although both sides have secured qualification to the quarter-finals, they will do battle for reasons beyond the final scoreline alone. For JDT it is to avoid being given a black eye by the same side for the third time in a row, while for Selangor it is to create their own history by defeating their undoubtedly formidable opponents at their fortress.