KUALA LUMPUR: Four teams are still in the race for the Malaysian Hockey League (MHL) Premier Division title.
Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) lead the Premier Division with 13 points, one more than second-place Terengganu Hockey Team (THT).
Defending champions Kuala Lumpur Hockey Club (KLHC) are third on 11 points, followed by Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) with nine.
"It’s a tight race for the four teams. None can afford to drop points,” said UniKL coach A. Arul Selvaraj.
"We need to remain focused and take it a match at a time.”
KLHC coach Lim Chiow Chuan said: "Our destiny is in our hands. We need to win every match to retain our title."
"We cannot depend on favours from other clubs," said Chiow Chuan.
UniKL, who drew their last two matches both against THT, are on a high in terms of confidence.
They play TNB Thunderbolts on Friday.
Arul said: "Thunderbolts are capable of spoiling our chances and we cannot take them lightly."
"Things could be undone if we fail to overcome Thunderbolts," said Arul.
As for KLHC, they take on Maybank on the same day.
Chiow Chuan said: "Maybank have improved but I believe we have the ability to deliver the three points.
"We have had a good run of three consecutive wins and we hope to continue this momentum," said Chiow Chuan.
The league title last season was only decided in the final minute of the match between THT and KLHC when the latter scored a late goal in stoppage time for the crown.
Friday
MHL Premier Division
KLHC v Maybank (KLHA Stadium; 5pm)
TNB Thunderbolts v UniKL (National Hockey Stadium; 8.30pm)
THT v TNB (Batu Buruk Hockey Stadium; 5pm)