KUALA LUMPUR: Now, only Kedah stand in the way of Darul Ta'zim lifting the Malaysia Cup for the first time, and the two teams get a chance to size each other up in a Super League match on Saturday.
There is little riding on the final league match of the season, with Darul Ta'zim having sealed a fourth consecutive league title long ago – though Kedah can still finish in the top three with a win.
Both teams could be tempted to save their best for the Malaysia Cup final on Nov 4, but Darul Ta'zim coach Ulisses Morais pledged to field his strongest side for the dress rehearsal in Alor Star on Saturday.
Darul Ta'zim advanced to the final by overcoming Perak 3-0 in the semi-final return leg at Larkin Stadium on Saturday for a 4-1 aggregate success, while Kedah defeated Felda United 2-0 in Alor Star to complete a 3-1 aggregate win.
"We will still field our best starting line-up against Kedah in the final Super League match next week," said Morais on the Johor Southern Tigers Facebook page yesterday.
"We will focus on that Kedah game first, before turning our attention to the Malaysia Cup final. This is because we always want victory. We do not have much time, only about two weeks before we play in the final."
Darul Ta'zim struggled to break Perak down in an even first half before Gonzalo Cabrera scored in the 57th minute when the defence was cut open and a contentious decision to disallow a Perak equaliser for offside further boosted the home side.
Gabriel Guerra doubled Darul Ta'zim's lead before Cabrera wrapped it up to extend the club’s unbeaten home record to 45 matches.
"We were aware that it would be another tough game after the first leg in Perak and I admit they are a strong team. We waited for counter-attacks from Perak because it gave us the opportunities to play just like how we wanted,” Morais added.
Perak coach Mehmet Durakovic said he could not fault his side for the effort they put in with five key players, including foreigners Yashir Pinto and Leandro Dos Santos, absent.
On the disallowed own goal by S. Kunalan when Zaquan Adha Radzak had been deemed offside, Durakovic said: "I'd better not say anything. It's up to the linesman and the referee to call it. It's not easy to take."