Testing weekend for UniKL

Arulselvaraj’s men face must-win games

KUALA LUMPUR: Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) face a tough week as they aim to halt a two-match losing streak in the Premier Division of the Malaysia Hockey League (MHL).

The early pace-setters suffered two straight losses last week – 2-0 to Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) and 3-0 to Terengganu.

And UniKL know that this week will be all about consolidating their position in the top four when they face Maybank on Friday) and UiTM-KPT on Sunday.

Having led the standings in the opening week of the MHL, the university side are now fourth, with 12 points from four wins and two defeats.

Terengganu lead the eight-team standings with 16 points, followed by KLHC (14pts) and Tenaga Nasional (13pts).

UniKL coach A. Arulselvaraj, however, is not about to put undue pressure on his team.

“Yes, it is a crucial week for us as it could go a long way towards determining our final standings in the league,” he said.

“We need to get full points from these two matches to stand a chance of making the top-four.

“Playing these teams is never easy ... they have shown vast improvement.”

He was especially wary of Maybank, their opponents on Friday.

The Tigers had beaten UniKL in the quarter-finals of the Tan Sri P. Alagendra Knockout Trophy last month.

“The Tigers are wounded ... their pride is hurt after they lost to a lower-ranked team (TNBThunderbolt) last weekend,” said Arulselvaraj, who was grateful for the Chinese New Year break as it gave his team time to recover and focused on the task at hand.

“The players are aware how crucial these matches are ... we will not take anything or anyone for granted.”

The other big match on Friday sees Terengganu facing Tenaga Nasional.

A Tenaga win will surely make the title race a more open affair.