PREVIEW: Red Eagles and Elephants battle for top spot

BY         NIK AFIQ        Follow on Twitter

The two in-form teams in the Super League (MSL), Kedah and Pahang are set to battle it out as the winners of this tie could set an early pace for the title race throughout the whole season.

Both teams are undefeated so far this season, with Pahang the surprise leaders together with Perak on seven points, while Kedah are in third with five points after three matches.

For the Red Eagles, their head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has already urged his team to buckle up at the back, as they have conceded four goals so far this season.

Conceding two against Sarawak did not really affect them as they eventually outscored the Crocodiles 3-2, but the 1-1 draws against Felda United and defending champions JDT have cost them four points.

Against the leaders who have scored the most goals so far this season, Cheng Hoe has urged his team to tighten their defence.

Taken from The Star, Cheng Hoe said: “Our defence has not been up to the mark. We have been conceding goals every game.”

“We cannot afford to do the same against a strong attacking side like Pahang, who have a good scoring record with seven goals in three matches.”

Cheng Hoe also praised new-look Pahang and regards them as one of the contenders for the Super League title this season.

“I picked them as strong title contenders. They made some good buys and all their foreigners have got their names on the score sheet,” added Cheng Hoe.

Meanwhile, for Dollah, he is hoping that his team would deliver a good performance and record another win to continue their impressive start to the season.

Dollah publicly criticised his team despite their 1-0 win against Sarawak last week, and he wants more from his squad.

The former national head coach admitted that Kedah are a strong team and Pahang must be at their best to compete with them.

However, he may not be without two key players, as Matthew Davies and Kiko Insa are yet to return to full fitness.

According to Harian Metro, Dollah said: “Kedah are a good team and are very hard to beat as they are very strong recently.”

“We still have to wait and see whether Davies and Insa will travel to Kedah with us or not. Of course we would like to have them but we must wait for the medical report first.”

Pahang will face Kedah tomorrow and a win would put them five points ahead of the Eagle in the table.”