Underdogs Kedah ready to pull off upset

The odds seem stacked against Kedah, the LionsXII's first opponents in this year's Malaysia Cup.

Since the Singapore side joined the Malaysian league and Cup competitions in 2012, they have not lost to Kedah in their past four meetings.

The LionsXII are also on an impressive 15-match unbeaten run at the Jalan Besar Stadium in all competitions - a streak that dates back to August last year.

Nevertheless, Kedah coach Tan Cheng Hoe is confident that they can upset the hosts in the Group A clash tonight.

He said: "No football club in the world can be winning all the time.

"We can absorb their attacks and contain them. We hope that we can be the team to beat the LionsXII here."

Kedah won the second-tier Malaysia Premier League (MPL) and will return to the Malaysia Super League for the first time since 2012.

Said Tan: "We have been winning so many matches this year but the first game of a new tournament is always difficult for both teams."

He will be relying heavily on powerful Nigerian striker Chidi Edeh to pull off an upset. The 28-year-old was the MPL's top scorer with 11 goals this season.

Their captain and defender Khairul Helmi said: "To beat the LionsXII on their home ground is going to be difficult. We are the underdogs but it's not impossible."

Alvin Chia

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on September 12, 2015, with the headline Underdogs Kedah ready to pull off upset. Subscribe