Football

Klang Valley Derby will be tight

Selangor and KL City are not friendly neighbours, and their encounters are normally explosive.

The bitter rivals will face off tomorrow in the quarter-final first leg of the Malaysia Cup at the MBPJ Stadium.

The Klang Valley derby is expected to be a tight affair, and the Red Giants have urged their fans to come in numbers and rattle the City Boys at their venue.

Although ticket sales will be limited due to Covid-19 guidelines, the noisy Selangor fans will definitely help in motivating their club against the impressive KL.

Selangor winger Nor Hakim Hassan said the team are fired up to oust Bojan Hodak's side from the Malaysia Cup with the help of their passionate fans.

"Our fans are passionate about Selangor football. And they want us to succeed. We will definitely be confident and motivated in their presence on Sunday.

"We will try our best to deliver a great show as we want our fans to get their money's worth," said Nor Hakim yesterday.

Although Selangor have won the Malaysia Cup 33 times, they have not won it since their 2015 success under coach Mehmet Durakovic.

The Red Giants have not won a title in the M-League since then.

Selangor and KL drew twice in the Super League with the former finishing fifth, one rung above their rivals.

However, Hodak's side have progressed accordingly in the Malaysia Cup. They topped Group A while Selangor finished runners-up in Group B behind Terengganu.

While KL have been consistent in the Malaysia Cup, Karsten Neitzel's side have been struggling to find their footing without striker Ifedayo Omosuyi.

Based on recent performances, the Selangor defence will be kept busy by KL's attacking players, led by Colombian Romel Morales, who is the competition's leading scorer with eight goals.

"I am so proud of Selangor. We worked hard to reach this far in the competition.

"Of course, we will give our 100 per cent in the hope of reaching the semi-finals.

"We have many young players who have improved accordingly. There are no superstars in the team. Everyone is equal, and we play as a team.

"KL, however, have improved a lot, and on Sunday, we must find a way to stop Morales from scoring," he added.

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