Syazwan: Kedah must beat T-Team to stay in chase

PETALING JAYA: Kedah winger Syazwan Zainon will sit out his side’s Super League grudge match against T-Team at the Darulaman Stadium tonight.

It was the Titans who had handed Kedah their first – and only – defeat of the season with a 5- 0 thrashing in Kuala Terengganu on April 15.

That defeat ended one- time league leaders Kedah’s 12-match unbeaten run in all competitions this season. Since that defeat, Kedah have dropped further points in the Super League after being held to draws by Perak (1-1) and PKNS (4-4).

Kedah are now third in the 12-team Super League with 21 points and trail leaders Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) by six points, with 10 matches to go. T-Team are eighth with 13 points.

The 27-year-old Syazwan, who picked up a hamstring injury in the 3-2 FA Cup final win over Pahang last Saturday, admitted that the Red Eagles must win at home to keep the heat on leaders JDT.

“We want to prove that the big loss to T-Team was a fluke. We are at home and it’s the last game before the break for the fasting month ... so, we want to sign off on a high,” said the nippy winger yesterday.

“Coach Nidzam (Adha Yusoff ) had told us to forget about the FA Cup win.

“The players need to regroup and refocus on the match against T-Team ... a win in this match will keep us in the Super League title race. We can’t afford to be too far behind JDT.

“I think the team will not miss me too much in this match because we have good wingers in Fakri ( Saarani) and Syafiq (Ahmad) .. they can easily slot into my position.”

The former Harimau Muda player admitted that the injury has also dented his chances of getting a national call-up for the 2019 Asian Cup qualifying Group B match against Lebanon at the Larkin Stadium on June 13.

The Super League matches today will be the last chance for national team assistant coach Tan Cheng Hoe to scout for players before submitting the player list to new national team coach Eduardo Vingada.

“I really want to play, but the team doctor said that I have pulled a hamstring and that I would need to rest for at least two weeks to recover.

“It’s quite disappointing to miss this game because I want to play for the national team,” said Syazwan, who was Malaysia’s stand- out player in the AFF Suzuki Cup in Myanmar last year.

“I was doing well before the injury, so I hope I can still get the national team call-up.”