Melaka United welcomes the visit of Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) in the first leg of the 2017 Malaysia Cup quarterfinal looking to ensure that there’s still something to play for when the second leg comes around.
They have already played each other twice this season, both matches coming in the Super League. It was a time when both teams had different head coaches, with Benjamin Mora at the helm of JDT and Eric Williams in charge of Melaka.
The omens do not look good for the Mousedeers despite their 1-1 draw when the two teams last met at Hang Jebat Stadium back in May. At that time, the match came in between AFC Cup matches for JDT and it was obvious that Mora had his mind elsewhere.
Safiq Rahim notched a wonderful free kick opener before Jeon Woo-Young’s late intervention with just two minutes left of normal time, secured a valuable point for Melaka.
In a match played one month before, it was a whitewash for Melaka as JDT steamrolled over Williams’ side with a comprehensive 7-0 win at Tan Sri Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium. Safiq was again the tormentor of Melaka as he picked up his only hattrick of the season.
Gabriel Guerra, Gonzalo Cabrera, Amirulhadi Zainal and Azamuddin Akil also got on the scoresheet for JDT’s biggest win of the season.
What will happen on Friday night when a JDT side now managed by Ulisses Morais looks to put their full focus in the Malaysia Cup against Eduardo Almeida’s Melaka?
