Hariss counting on the power of Larkin in season opener

The 2018 Super League starts this weekend and reigning champions Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) will open their season against Kedah at Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium on Saturday.

The match also doubles up as the Charity Shield where result after 90 minutes will count towards points in the league table. Should both teams be tied after normal time, the match will go straight into a penalty shoot-out to determine the first trophy winner of the season.

JDT and Kedah also met in the opening last season which saw both teams tied at 1-1 after full time but the latter succeeded in penalty shoot-out, edging JDT 5-4 to lift the Charity Shield.

One player who is likely to start this Saturday but wasn't around in the same match last year is none other than Hariss Harun. The Singaporean international returns to the Southern Tigers once again after a year away on loan.

The midfielder was disappointing in JDT's first competitive outing of the season in that fateful AFC Champions League preliminary stage against Muangthong United but is raring to go again, to make up for the dismal performance last time out.

"It's a very important game for us, we are looking forward to the first game which is the Charity Shield as well as a league game where three points is up for grabs. It's very important for us to get into a good start in our home ground. We need to start well, so hopefully we'll get the performance and the result."

"It's a big advantage for us to play at home where the fans are amazing and the atmosphere is great. We as players are always looking forward to play in front of such atmosphere and it's always a pleasure to play in front of our fans," said Hariss in a interview on the Johor Southern Tigers facebook page.

Hariss is also wary of the challenge that his team will face in Kedah, who have been the closest challenger to JDT in the past couple of season. However, the 27-year-old is adamant that they will only be one of the many teams who will be raising their game against the champions.

"In the past two seasons, they have a good team. A team that is trying to push us and showed their quality. But we've shown that we are able to manage it, with the four consecutive titles. We need to try to improve every year because things are going to get tougher because all the other teams are trying to beat us. We have the quality but we have to look to maintain and improve all the time," added Hariss.

The midfield battle whenever JDT face up against Kedah will always be interesting given the talents available to both teams. The opening match of the season looks set to be one to watch.