The clash between Melaka United FC and eight-time Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) will be the one to watch in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup this season.
Based on the draw, the match will take place at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka, where the Sang Kancil squad recently held JDT to a 1-1 draw in the Super League.
Meanwhile, three-time FA Cup champions Sri Pahang FC will face Penang FC at the Darul Makmur Stadium, Kuantan while Sabah FC will meet the winner of the second-round match between Selangor FC and last season’s Malaysia Cup champions, Kuala Lumpur (KL) City FC, at the Likas Stadium in Kota Kinabalu.
The other quarter-final draw sees the sole Premier League representative Kuching City FC take on the winner of another second-round match between two-time champions Terengganu FC (TFC) and 2019 champions Kedah Darul Aman (KDA) FC.
Melaka United operator Mohd Asri Ninggal expects his team to face a tough challenge against the Southern Tigers, but hopes the home crowd can provide the extra edge.
“The players need to be completely focused from the first right up to the last minute of the match,“ he said in a statement, tonight.
Meanwhile, Kuching City head coach Irfan Bakti said the team was ready to face either TFC or KDA, adding that his side would be the underdogs regardless of whom they played.
“TFC are finding their rhythm while Kedah, with many new import players, are also getting fiercer, if you look at their performance in the AFC Cup. I hope the players put in their all while I hope that luck favours us in the knockout stage, ”he said.
All four quarterfinal fixtures are scheduled to take place on July 23 and will be based on a single-match knockout format.
The FA Cup was last held in 2019, as the 2020 and 2021 competitions were not held following the Covid-19 pandemic.-Bernama
