Melaka winger Surendran expecting fierce backlash from JDT
PETALING JAYA: Melaka skipper R. Surendran is expecting a fierce backlash from wounded Southern Tigers Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the Super League clash at the Larkin Stadium on Saturday.
Surendran is confident that JDT will come back charging after the Super League champions’ recent defeat. They were stunned 10 by Kuala Lumpur after kicking off their campaign by winning 21 over Kedah and 30 against PKNP FC 30.
Melaka’s last encounter with JDT ended with a 11 draw in the second leg of the Malaysia Cup quarterfinal at the Larkin Stadium. Melaka had earlier lost the first leg 41 at home.
Surendran said his side would draw inspiration from the second leg Malaysia Cup performance to give JDT another good show.
“JDT will be looking to bounce back after losing their last game. They will be even harder to beat in Larkin,” said the 30yearold.
“Only a few teams have beaten them in Larkin. A draw will be good as we have done that in our last meeting. We can get a positive result there if we play with the same fighting spirit.”
The winger said his team’s confidence was sky high after winning two out of their first three matches. Melaka beat Kelantan 21 before losing 41 to Selangor. They bounced back with 30 win over Negri Sembilan.
He added that the team had identified their shortcomings.
“We were conceding early goals and it was not easy to play catchup. We learned from it from the first two matches and we did better in the third match by keeping a clean sheet,” said the Triang local.
“We’re still early in the season and all the teams are still looking for form and consistency. We are on the right track after three matches.”