The Singapore side will come up against national captain Shahril Ishak who plies his trade for the second string Johor side
LionsXII will be taking on Pahang FA, Felda United and Johor Darul Ta'zim II (JDT II) in the 2014 Malaysia Cup.
Fandi Ahmad's boys were handed the draw earlier on Sunday where 16 teams were split into four groups of four teams each. The top teams from each group progress to the knockout stages after a series home and away matches.
“We are pleased with the draw," said Nazri Nasir, LionsXII assistant coach. "There are no easy teams in a cup competition, but we are quietly confident. Although results did not go our way in the Malaysian Super League, we won our final game so I hope we will maintain that momentum going into the Cup. The players are hungry to prove a point, and I hope our fans will pack the stands at Jalan Besar Stadium to give us the extra push.”
LionsXII are in Group A in the competition which will be entering its 88th edition, with a Singapore team having won it 24 times, the second highest tally.
“We have had a tough time in the League with several players out at different times, but now everyone is back and ready to up their game for the Cup campaign,” said LionsXII captain Isa Halim, himself also having missed a large part of the league campaign through injury and was in attendance at the draw held in Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) headquarters.
“The bulk of the team has experienced what it’s like to go through a Malaysia Cup campaign. We were unfortunate to be knocked out in the semi-final and quarter-final in the past two seasons, but with the fans behind us and with the benefit of our experience, I am confident that we will be able to do well."
The fixtures will be announced at a later date.
Malaysia Cup 2014 Groupings
Group A
Pahang FA
LionsXII
KL Felda United FC
Johor Darul Ta’zim II FC
Group B
Terengganu FA
Sarawak FA
Perak FA
Kedah FA
Group C
Johor Darul Ta’zim I FC
Kelantan FA
ATM FA
Penang FA
Group D
Selangor FA
KL Sime Darby FC
PDRM FA
T-Team FC
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