Malaysia Cup preview: Full strength Elephants favourites in Group D

Pahang

2018 League finish: 4th in Super League
2017 Malaysia Cup: Quarterfinal
Best Malaysia Cup achievement: Champions (1983, 1992, 2013, 2014)

Selangor

2018 League finish: 8th in Super League
2017 Malaysia Cup: Quarterfinal
Best Malaysia Cup achievement: Champions (33 times)

PKNP FC

2018 League finish: 9th in Super League
2017 Malaysia Cup: Quarterfinal
Best Malaysia Cup achievement: Quarterfinal (2018)

Sabah

2018 League finish: 6th in Premier League
2017 Malaysia Cup: Did not qualify
Best Malaysia Cup achievement: Runners-up 

Pahang were given a relatively easier group than their rivals as Group D only has one other former champions in Selangor. The Elephants have already won the 2018 FA Cup and will be looking to add another cup win into their list of achievements for the season.

Dollah Salleh has allowed R. Kogileswaran and Faisal Halim to leave for the Asian Games but have kept far more important players in Matthew Davies and Nor Azam Azih, which highlights to their seriousness towards the competition.

Selangor has had a poor season and apart from Rufino Segovia, hardly anyone else in the squad can claim to have a decent season in the Super League and FA Cup. Historically, The Red Giants are a name synonymous with the Malaysia Cup, having won the competition 33 times previously. However, their chances this season are slimmer than usual.

Abu Bakar Fadzim's PKNP have had a credible season thus far and are a good proposition in the cup competitions judging by their performances in the last two seasons. The loss of Shahrel Fikri who has moved to the Thai Premier League does not seemed to have a major impact on the team and that augurs well for them.

Sabah are the lowest ranked team to qualify for the Malaysia Cup this season and Jelius Ating's boys are not expected to make a big splash in the competition. The head coach can however count on his experience of being part of a Sabah team that went all the way to the final in 1996, to guide his young team in the competition this year.

Pahang are undoubtedly the red hot favourites to not only reach the knockout stage from this group, but also to top the group. Then it looks like a straight fight between Selangor and PKNP on who will join Pahang in the next stage of the competition.