JOHOR BAHRU, Mac 4 – Defending champions Johor Darul Takzim (JDT) – overflowing with so much football talent – is the hot favorite to kickstart their new season with a win over Kedah in Friday’s (March 5) Charity Shield match which will also count towards league points in regulation time.
And it does not matter who is in coach Benjamin Mora’s starting lineup or on the bench for the match.
The curtain raiser will be played at the majestic Sultan Ibrahim Stadium – one of the best in this region – and the envy of football teams.
The Mexican coach – who has won seven consecutive Super League titles for the Southern Tigers since 2014 – has one wish. He does not want a penalty shootout to decide the Charity Shield winner.
Penalty shootouts are a heartbreak for him. It is a lottery that can go either way on the day if Lady Luck decides to smile on you.
The year 2017 stands out like a sore thumb for Mora and the company.
That was the year when Kedah won the lottery with a 5-4 win in the shootout after a 1-1 draw. It hit Mora hard. That is why he wants tomorrow’s (Friday) match to be decided in regulation time for a roaring start to the season.
While many can guess Mora’s star-studded lineup but he is not revealing if former Kedah player Fernando Rodriguez will feature in his match plans. The Brazilian plays for JDT’s feeder squad JDT II in the Premier League.
”The pandemic affected our training and also other teams…but we have done enough in aggressive training. Despite the shortcomings team understanding is there,” said Mora, adding that the JDT badge on the jersey carries heavy responsibilities for the Southern Tigers.
On the other hand, his counterpart Aidil Shahrin Sahak knows of the odds against his Hijau Kuning outfit. His match plans suffered further blows with injuries to his key defenders Renan Alves and Ariff Farhan.
“Putting the injuries aside my team is focused. I must admit that our pre-season preparations were not what we had expected. Still, the players are ready to go. Their confidence is high and to get a positive result is not impossible,” said Aidil, a former Singapore international.
For the record JDT’s former goalkeeper coach Khairul Azman is now with Kedah. The former international brings a wealth of experience with him in the last line of defense and he knows the strong and weak points of JDT.
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