Johor have two teams in the Malaysia Cup - Super League outfit Johor FC and Premier League side Johor - and their campaign in the country's premier football competition begins with home matches against Felda United and Kedah respectively.
Both Johor FC and Johor believe they can rise to the occasion and advance to the quarter-finals from their respective groups.
Johor FC are in Group C with defending champions and favourites Kelantan, Felda United and Sarawak, while Johor have former champions Kedah, Perak and Sabah for company in Group A.
Johor FC are in Group C with defending champions and favourites Kelantan, Felda United and Sarawak, while Johor have former champions Kedah, Perak and Sabah for company in Group A.
Johor FC can ill afford to draw or lose against Felda United at the JCorp Stadium in Pasir Gudang if they don't want to lose direction after a topsy-turvy run in the Super League where they finished seventh.
"The critics may have written us off but we aim to surprise. I must admit we did not perform to expectations in the league. Inconsistency was our biggest setback. It will be different in the Malaysia Cup," said Johor FC secretary Tahir Hamdan.
In the league, Johor FC drew 1-1 with Felda at home but came off 1-0 winners away. Tahir believes Johor FC have the team to do well in the Malaysia Cup.
In the league, Johor FC drew 1-1 with Felda at home but came off 1-0 winners away. Tahir believes Johor FC have the team to do well in the Malaysia Cup.
"Somehow, we always see an improved performance in the Malaysia Cup. We are counting on players like Eddie Helmi (Abdul Manan) and Shahrizal (Saad) to show their stuff. They had a subdued run in the league but I expect them to shine in the Malaysia Cup," said Tahir.
Johor FC have never failed to make the Malaysia Cup since 1998. They reached the semi-finals in 2008 and last year but were knocked out by Selangor and Negri Sembilan respectively by identical 2-1 aggregate wins.
Johor, who won the Malaysia Cup in 1985 and 1991 and were runners-up in 1986, are experiencing a slump with their last piece of silverware coming in 1998 when they won the FA Cup under then coach Steve Darby.
But team manager Datuk Abdul Aziz Sapian sees hope in the new Johor team and strongly believes they will be among the contenders. "Do not underrate us. We are ready for Kedah (in the opening match) and the others. A win over Kedah will put us in the right stead for our away match against Perak next Sunday, " said Abdul Aziz.
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