It doesn't come any bigger than this for a Malaysia Cup semi-final, the second leg will all to play and it sees the former kings of Malaysian football against its current incumbent. With more than 60% of the tickets sold as of Thursday, the interest from fans are proving just how big the Selangor v Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) clash is.
JDT goes into the match at Shah Alam Stadium with a narrow 2-1 lead from the first leg at Tan Sri Dato Haji Hassan Yunos Stadium but the crucially for Selangor, they have the advantage of the away goal. Yet the Super League champions could just as easily score on Saturday and makes the away goal a moot point.
For club captain Hariss Harun, the first half was a mixed bag of feelings. On the one hand, he was proud to have been able to lead the team to sign off their time at Larkin with a win but on the other hand, knows that the performance produced last weekend was not what JDT was capable of.
"Important that we won the game at home. Kind of significant because it was the last game at Larkin before we move to the new stadium. So it was important that we close that chapter on a good note and positive that we got the win. But the result is a little bit tricky. Yes we won but it leaves us knowing that we still have to do the job in the second leg.
"That was the issue that was didn't focus or concentrate enough to keep things tight. We were losing the ball a bit too easily and they capitalised on that. In that particular situation we lost the ball close to our goal so it was easier for them to get into our box and subsequently score. For us, a little bit of a setback in that sense.
"There's always room for improvement. It's not just that situation but the game as a whole, we didn't do as best that we usually do. That's something that we have to work on and we did that the whole week so hopefully we'll be in better condition for the the second leg," said Hariss to Goal.
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In the first leg Selangor were without the injured Endrik dos Santos, a player who would have been a direct opponent for Hariss to battle against and the former is unlikely to feature in the second leg as well. Which would mean that Hariss will potentially only have the trickery of Sandro da Silva to content with, in his role sitting at the base of JDT's midfield.
The Singaporean international is well aware of the pitfalls that comes if his team believe in the lead and concentrate solely on protecting what they have in the tie. Thus Hariss does not believe that JDT will go there to sit on their precious lead and instead will look to win the match outright.
"It's normal for any home team to try to get their supporters behind their back. The stadium might be full because this is like a final before another final. For us it's important that we keep our cool and stay composed because for a start, the result is still in our hands. Also a couple of our players have played in this kind of situations before either with JDT or the national team, so we have it in us to rise to the occasion and go about the job.
"It will be dangerous to go there and try to protect the lead. We have to try our usual game and go with the mentality of trying to win every single game. It will be no different this Saturday. Anyhow we have to win this match to seal our path to the final. We're going to approach the game like any other game.
"We know what's at stake and the pressure. The stadium is going to be full but we have it in us to get it done"
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But the potential absentee of a key import player isn't a problem that is only affecting Selangor but JDT as well. Likewise Diogo Luis Santo was also unavailable for selection in the first leg and despite a week of working on him, the Brazilian may just be slightly short for this second leg.
Yet such is the strenght in depth available at JDT, The Southern Tigers were able to call upon a forward who is in the best form of his career in Syafiq Ahmad. A key figure in Tan Cheng Hoe's Malaysia national team, Syafiq has been able to back his inclusion at club and country with goals, not least the opening goal he scored in the first leg.
While it would have been scandalous to discount what a fit Diogo could bring to team as is highlighted by his man-of-the-match performance the last time JDT faced Selangor in Shah Alam and came away with a 4-2 win. Hariss believes that Syafiq is a different player but one which provides the same final output.
"They are different players but they get goals. We can see that Syafiq has been scoring for the national team and for us in the past couple of months. Actually he was actually in good form before he was out for a month or so. Generally, he's been quite positive and quite impactful this season for us. He scored that goal against Kashima in the ACL which we won at home. So I think he gives a different dimension to the team.
"But of course we know Diogo what he can do. His qualities, his strength, his speed. This year in Malaysian football, we saw what he brought to the team. Even in the ACL. They are two different players but they both bring so much to the team," explained Hariss.
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