Football
ESPN staff 8y

JDT stand on brink of MSL history as they host Terengganu at Larkin

The celebratory fireworks at Larkin Stadium will be kept on standby when table toppers Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) welcome the visit of Terengganu on Friday, sitting just one win away from a record third successive Malaysia Super League (MSL) title.

A 3-2 away victory over their closest rivals Felda United on Aug. 24 has given the Southern Tigers a seven-point lead at the MSL summit, with only three matches remaining.

If JDT beat the 10th placed Turtles, they will be the first team in the country to bag a hat trick of titles since the start of the MSL in 2004, going one better than Kedah, Selangor and Kelantan, who managed back-to-back championships. It will be their third trophy of the season, having won the Charity Shield in February and the Malaysia FA Cup in May.

Should the millionaires go on to achieve positive results against T-Team and Selangor in their final two MSL fixtures, they will make more history by becoming the first Malaysian team to remain unbeaten throughout the course of the season.

Mario Gomez's men have lost only twice this season: a 2-1 FA Cup first-leg semifinal defeat to Kedah in April, before succumbing 3-0 away to Perak in the Malaysia Cup group stage in July.

But in the MSL, JDT have been a different proposition altogether, only dropping points against Selangor, Kelantan, Kedah and Penang.

Besides the advantage of an expected bumper crowd at Larkin Stadium, the blue and red army can also count on fresh legs for this game. Safiq Rahim, S. Kunanlan, Amirulhadi Zainal and Aidil Zafuan retired from international football in July so they weren't involved in Malaysia's trip to Indonesia.

Safiq, Kunanlan and Aidil are likely starters against Terengganu, while Amri Yahyah, Fadhli Shas and Azrif Nasrulhaq, who featured in Malaysia's 3-0 friendly loss in Solo, will most likely take their place on the bench.

With contrasting fortunes, Terengganu make journey to Johor, desperate to salvage something from this game in their bid to stave off relegation.

The east coast side are barely keeping their head above water, sitting only a point above 11th place Penang. Mustaffa Kamal, the third coach in charge this season after the sackings of Ahmad Yusof and Mike Mulvey, faces a mammoth task to galvanise his side, and overturn a seven-match winless streak in the league, stretching back to May.

In other matches, second-placed Felda, guaranteed of second spot, visit T-Team, while Selangor will aim to regain third place from Kedah, with a win against bottom side Pahang.

The Elephants, who finished third in 2014 and 2015, require nothing but victory to stay afloat, while the predicament is the same for Penang when they host PDRM FA.

Friday:

JDT vs. Terengganu

Saturday:

Sarawak vs. Kelantan

Selangor vs. Pahang

T-Team vs. Felda United

Penang vs. PDRM FA

Kedah vs. Perak

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