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Win over Kelantan will have Darul Ta’zim looking down on the rest

Awin over Kelantan in Kota Baru today will see reigning champions Darul Ta’zim go top of the Super League for the first time this season.

But coach Benjamin Mora warned his team to be cautious of the threat from their rivals.

Mora’s side are in a buoyant mood after the 7-0 thrashing of Malacca last weekend which ended their two-match losing streak in all competitions.

But their hope to leapfrog Pahang and Kedah and lead the standing by one point could be turned into ashes by Kelantan striker Mohamad Ghaddar, whose individual performance has seen him score 10 goals with seven coming from the last three matches.

Mora said although his players are feeling motivated, he fears they could get complacent by being overconfident.

“Ghaddar is currently the most in-form striker in the league. The Lebanese is very dangerous but we also need to pay attention to their veterans Indra Putra Mahayuddin and Badhri Radzi who both are very enterprising forwards,” said Mora yesterday.

“We cannot underestimate Kelantan at their own backyard. We will be punished if we make mistakes. I have reminded the players to keep calm and play to instructions.”

Defensive midfielder Afiq Fazail is injured and he is expected to be replaced by Shakir Shaari while defender S. Kunanlan and Darren Lok are not 100 per cent fit.

Mora, however, has a difficult decision to make on whether to field fresh legs today as Darul Ta’zim have another league match on Saturday against PKNS.

“The team responded well from two straight defeats by thrashing Malacca last weekend. But we need to be smart in selecting players as we have a very hectic schedule ahead.

Kelantan coach Zahasmi Ismail said there will be no room for mistakes today.

“We made a mess of things when we led against Pahang last weekend. The players became too comfortable and allowed Pahang to come back and win.