match preview - KL City V PFA Odin
KL City and PFA Odin in a repeat of their opening match of the season which turned into a hard fought 2-2 draw.
KL City and PFA Odin meet again on Sunday in the second matchday of circuit five, both sides looking to bounce back after contrasting exits on the opening day of the round.
Jerry Dinesh's side went down 7-2 away to Selangor on matchday one, a heavy scoreline against one of the division's most potent attacks but one that will have done little to dent a squad that has shown itself capable of scoring goals of its own this season, Daniel Almeida and Dinesh Kumar chief among those to have found the net regularly.
PFA Odin's matchday one defeat came in more painful circumstances. Mohd Faizal Bin Zamri's side led USM 3-1 inside the second half only to be beaten 4-3, a result that will sting given the position of control they held for long periods. Asyraff Zakaris and Safiq Hamzah have been reliable sources of goals for PFA Odin this season, and both will be central to any response on Sunday.
The two sides have already met once this season, sharing the points in a 2-2 draw on the opening day of the campaign back in May. Asyraff Zakaris was on target for PFA Odin that day, with Lucas Araujo and Sufri Shamil replying for KL City in a game that swung back and forth throughout.
Both sides have shown this season that they are capable of testing the division's stronger teams as well as being caught out by them. KL City pushed both ATM and USM close in recent weeks, drawing 5-5 with the former and edging past the latter 3-2, evidence of a squad that competes even when results elsewhere go against them. PFA Odin, for their part, have shown flashes of the same quality that saw them draw with KL City in May, even if consistency has been harder to find.
With both teams coming off the back of matchday one defeats, Sunday's meeting has the feel of two sides looking to arrest a slide rather than build on momentum. KL City hope to atone for the manner of their loss to Selangor, while PFA Odin will be desperate to avoid a repeat of the late collapse that cost them against USM. Given how tightly the two sides were matched in May, there is little to suggest this one will be any more clear-cut.
The match kicks off in Shah Alam at 17.00
