Matchweek 1 Previews and Predictions..

Negeri Sembilan vs Selangor

Fresh from their success in the recent Charity Shield, Hoben Jang Hoben will come in as the favourites for this tie. Azraai Khor Abdullah, has been pinnacle towards the team's success as he is able to utilize the youngsters who were brought in this season. Though they might have lost the likes of Aidil Zafuan Abdul Razak and Hairuddin Omar, Negeri Sembilan can count on the likes of Jean Emmanuel Effa Owona and G.Mahathevan to spearhead the squad. Both of them were phenomenal against Kelantan and they helped their side to shock the Red Warriors. Mohd Shukor Adan and Idiris Karim who were not able to play against Kelantan, might be back for this tie as Azraai would surely rely on their experience to improve the team. 

Selangor, touted as the favourites for the title this season will be eager to kick off their season by beating the Charity Shield winners. Selangor, who didn't win any titles last season, will have a new coach on board. Irfan Bakti, who had a successful season with Terengganu last season has brought in youngsters to bolster the already experienced squad. K.Gurusamy, Famirul Asyraf Sayuti and Wan Hoesne Wan Hosein will have a key role to play this season. Fresh from his exploits in the SEA games, K Gurusamy will be partnering with National skipper, Safiq Rahim. Both of them will be pivotal in midfield as they will provide the chances for the likes of Amri Yahyah and Lelo Mbele. Ramez Dayoub, will have to be on his toes for this game as he will be marking the mercurial, Effa Owona who vowed to bang in the goals for Negeri Sembilan.

This will be a hotly contested tie as both teams have looked strong in pre season. The import players will be key in this tie but the likes of Safiq Rahim, S.Kunalan and Amri Yahyah will surely play a key role in this tie. Negeri Sembilan will go in as the favourites but expect Selangor to come out all guns blazing for this tie

Prediction: Negeri Sembilan 2 - 1 Selangor

Perak vs Terengganu

What s start for Perak! The team who finished sixth last season would never have wanted such a start. Facing the FA Cup champions, Perak will surely want to win this tie to gain some valuable momentum. Perak who has retained most of their players from last season have added 7 players into their ranks. Norizan Bakar, who has been retained to chart the fortunes of the team has been given the ultimatum by the management to win at least a trophy this season. Skipper, Shahrulnizam Mustapha, fan favourite, Akmal Rizal Rakhli and defensive linchpin, Khairi Zainuddin will star in this tie as the new players will also get their debut in this game. Foreign signings, Slovakian, Michal Kubala and Serbian, Lazar Popovic, will be the players to watch as they have impressed the fans during pre season. Popovic will be the player to watch as he has been phenomenal during pre season.

Terengganu will be the favourites this season as they have kept the core of the team and brought in promising youngsters. Muslim Ahmad, Abdul Shukor Jusoh and Faizal Muhammad, gold medal winner in the 2011 SEA games have been roped in by new coach, Mat Zan Mat Aris. Three of them have what it takes to bring this to another level. However, new foreign signings, Francis Doe and Baiano will not be able to play in this tie as they were registered after the stipulated deadline. Mat Zan will surely feel the loss of both players but he can rely on the likes of Ashaari Shamsuddin, Joseph Kallang Tie and Abdul Manaf Mamat for this tie. Muslim's combination with veteran defender, Marzuki Yusoff will be the key for this side as both of them will surely man mark Perak's key players, Akmal Rizal and Popovic.

Held at the Perak Stadium, the home fans will be pushing Perak to nail this tie but Terengganu have quality in depth though without their foreign players. It will be Mat Zan Mat Aris's first game with Terengganu. Expect him to make quite an impression with his tactics. Norizan, known for his tactical astuteness will be relying on the home support as he will start his season with a win

Prediction: Perak 2 - 2 Terengganu

Lions XII vs Kelantan

After an 18 year absence, The Lions are back into the Malaysian league fold. However, they will be off to a tough start as they will be facing reigning Super League champions, Kelantan. The team which will be featuring in all the competitions in Malaysia has added some zest into the competition as they have brought in their best players for the League. Hariss Harun, Syahril Ishak and Agu Casmir have been tasked to help this team create an impression in the Malaysian League. Singaporean legend, V.Sundramoorthy is the coach of the side as he will be ably assisted by another legend Kadir Yahya. Hariss Harun will be the key man for this side as his telling passes and ability to shield the defense will be important towards this team's progress in the Super League. Agu Casmir will be the marked man as the Nigerian born striker looks impressive with his goals and workrate.

Super League holders, Kelantan will be off to the Jalan Besar Stadium after their lost against Negeri Sembilan. Underperforming against the Deers, Peter Butler needs to find a solution to rectify this situation as the players have yet to find their real form yet. The likes of .Subramaniam, Syakir Syaari and Norfarhan Mohammad looked far their best as they were just outclassed by the hardworking Negeri players. Dennis Antwi and Mohammad Ghaddar have yet to impress the fans yet as both of them are still finding their footing with the team. Kelantan are also facing an internal crisis as Badhri Radzi has been rumoured to have been stripped off his captaincy post. Badhri Radzi who refused to take the captain's armband from Syakir Shaari during the game against Negeri Sembilan certainly showed signs of a crisis in the team itself.

This will be a feast to watch. Singapore will come in as favourites for this tie as they are used to the conditions of an artificial pitch whereas Kelantan will be playing on this surface for the first time. V.Sundramoorthy will place his best players and will surely want to inflict Kelantan's second straight defeat for this campaign

Prediction: Lions XII 2 - 0 Kelantan

Felda United vs Sabah

E.Elavarasan's side will face off against Sabah in their first tie in the Super League. In their 2nd season, Felda have bolstered their side with few interesting signings. National U-23 player, Yuon Kuong Yong and veteran midfielder, Hardy Jaafar is expected to play a key role in Felda's challenge this season. Having released key players like Khaironnisam Sahabuddin, K.Rajan and Mohammad Zamri Chin, Elavarasan has brought in interesting youngsters into his squad. The loan signings of Nizad Ayub and Khairan Ezuan Rosli from Kelantan and National striker, Ahmad Fakhri Shaarani will surely bolster the attack line. They will surely cause problems for Reitahuddin Emran and Fariss Azlan. Matias Favano, their only import signing will spearhead the defense as his experience playing in many leagues will put him in good stead.

Sabah FA, who have brought back Justin Ganai back into the fold have bolstered their options with 6 new signings. The return of Ronny Harun has bolstered the defense whereas the signing of Brendan Gan and Michael Baird has been well received by the Sabah fans. Brendan Gan, who has played for Sydney FC will partner with his country mate, Michael Baird in attack. Rethauddin Emran will be the key defensive player in this tie as he will have to stop the likes of Ahmad Fakhri and Nizad Ayub. Justin Ganai, who helped Sabah to qualify for the quarter finals of the Malaysia Cup has steadied the ship and will rely on his current batch of players to create an impression in this tough league.

Felda United will deliver in this tie but the likes of Gan and Baird might spoil the show as they have been impressive the friendly matches so far. However, with the quality in depth that Felda has, we might see Elavarasan getting the 3 points for his team.

Prediction: Felda United 2 - 1 Sabah

Sarawak vs Kuala Lumpur

Sarawak will be the team to beat entering this tie. Runners up in the Premier League last season, the Hornbills will want to get back their glory days. Long gone are the days of Ramos Sari, Ramles, Bobby Pian and Sapian Wahid. Now, it's new era for the Ngap Sayot squad. Robert Alberts will be the man tasked to keep this team in the Super League. Mostly comprised of young Borneo players, they have since added few experienced players into the squad this season. K.Rajan, Yosri Derma Raju and Sani Anuar Kamsani have been roped in to add some experience into the squad. They have also signed two Cameroonians, Guy Bwelle and Kalle Sone. Kalle Sone looks to be a decent signing as the striker has looked impressive in pre season. Zamri Morshidi will continue to become the pillar of the team as his performances in the Premier League were of exemplary. He ha expected to continue his fine form in the Super League albeit facing a bevvy of top class defenders.

Kuala Lumpur are the early candidates for relegation as the team is facing a financial crisis and they have lost most of their key player. Former captain, Shahrom Abdul Kalam, Fahrul Rzi Kamaruddin and Norazlan Razali are the key players who have left the City boys. The only notable players in the squad are Ahmad Dashilla Tajuddin and Badrul Hisyam Azami who have remained with the team. Stanley Bernard, Azrul Azmi and Khairulanuar Jamil are the key signings for the side. The squad looks weak and Razip Ismail has stated that he has to start all over again. Razip Ismail has proven himself to be a good coach as he managed to keep the team safe from relegation last season and they nearly toppled Selangor from the Malaysia Cup only to lose the game in the dying minutes. He has what it takes to mould this team again but with the players he has, he would surely look for a draw from this game

Sarawak will go guns blazing for this tie as they will want to exploit the situation faced by Kuala Lumpur. Kalle Sone and Guy Bwelle will want to create a lasting impression and this game will be vital for them. Robert Alberts will want to utilise the home ground advantage and he will surely win his battle against Razip Ismail

Prediction: Sarawak 3 - 0 Kuala Lumpur

T Team Terengganu vs Kedah

T Team, one of the most feared clubs in the Super League will want to start the new year with a bang. Yunus Alif, in his 3rd year with T Team will look forward to the upcoming season as the expectations are getting higher for the T-Team. What used to be a feeder team for Terengganu, this team the scenario has changed as T Team has roped in several experienced lads for their side. Fadzli Shaari, Suhardy Alby and Faiz Subri are the new signings made by Yunus and they are expected to be fielded against Kedah. Zachariah Simukonda will make his long awaited come back in Malaysian football he will be partnering Fadzli Shaari in attack. Bojan Petric will be the man to watch as he will be marshalling the defence with Hasbullah Awang. Yunus will want Bojan to fully utilise his height and imposing presence in this tie.

Kedah, who had a mediocre season last year, will have the youngest squad in the Malaysian league as they have brought in many youngsters into the side. The team which possesses the likes of Baddrol Bakhtiar, Khyril Muhymeen and Amar Rohidan will be no pushovers for T Team. New signings like See Kok Luen, Syazuan Ashraff Matthews and Azmizi Azmi will be given their debut for this game. Brazilian signings, Danilo Vivaldo and Daniel Baroni will also be given their first start. It is hoped that the 2 Brazilians will bring the kind of impact that Marcos Magno and Marlon Alex James created in Kedah. For this tie, Nizam Adzha will be taking charge of the team as Wan Jamak Wan Hassan is suspended for this tie. Baddrol will be the key man for this side as the nippy midfielder has been Kedah's main man since 2009. Rejecting the overtures of playing in the Indonesia, the 23 year old will want to help his beloved side win at least a title this season

It will be an interesting tie but Kedah will give T Team a run for their money though they are playing at home. Kedah would want to win this tie for their coach, Wan Jamak Wan Hassan and expect youngsters like Shazuan Ashraff Matthews and Mohd Syamim Sobri to seize their chance by getting on the score sheet.

Prediction: T Team Terengganu 1 - 1 Kedah

Selangor PKNS vs Johor FC

PKNS, Champions of the Premier League will make their long waited debut in the Super League. The Selangor based team led by veteran coach Abdul Rahman Ibrahim will want to kickstart their season with a win against Super league veterans, Johor FC. Having made significant signings like Helmi Remeli, Rudie Ramli, Ahmad Azlan Zainal  and Remezey Che Ros, Abdul Rahman has set his sights on staying in the Super League. Mohd Fahdil Hashim who was inspirational last season has been kept by team and he has also been appointed as the captain. One player which will cause problems for Johor FC's defense is Guadeloupe forward, Dawood Nicoise. The 27 year ols striker who last plied his trade with Al Masry of Egypt has been dubbed as the key signing for PKNS. 

Johor FC, who have brought in a new coach in the form of K.Devan will be devoid of foreign players as their foreign players registration have been rejected by FAM. However, K.Devan remains optimistic as he has brought in new players to bolster the club side. The Pasir Gudang based side has signed players like Haris Safwan Kamal, Ahmad Fauzi Shaari, Shafizan Hashim and Khaironnisam Sahabuddin to bolster the squad. Though they may have lost the likes of Rezal Zambri Yahya and Mohd Hamzani Omar but their new signings looks solid as they have been impressive in pre season games. Eddy Helmy Abdul Manan will be the key man for this side as he has been a loyal player for this team. He certainly gives the team's attack an extra edge and he can help the likes of Syahrizal Saad and Haris Safwan Kamal to improve their own game play. Azi Shahril Ami is the man to replace Rezal Zamberi Yahya. The 26 year old former National player will look to cement himself in the squad as he and Ahmad Fauzi Shaari will be manning the midfield.

Johor FC are the favourites for this tie as their pre season preparations have looked much better than PKNS. PKNS will be hoping for a draw from this game but if Haris, Syahrizal and Eddy hit top gear, then they can kiss this tie goodbye. The will surely rely on the presence of Dawood Nicoise to penetrate the Johor's defense led by Khaironnisam.

Prediction: PKNS 1 - 3 Johor FC