That, said Shakeel, should put them in the running to chase for the League title after a chaotic weekend saw KLHC shed five points.
Maybank, with help from Pakistan Olympians Shakeel and Muhammad Waqas, have eight points and are only six adrift off table-toppers Tenaga Nasional.
In the first leg encounter, Maybank lost 1-4 to KLHC.
“Our direction depends on the matches this weekend and the one against KLHC will be of particular interest to us as they are bent on winning to keep their league title charge alive,” said Shakeel who made his MHL debut two years ago with Yayasan Negri Sembilan.
“So the pressure is on KLHC, and as long as Maybank have a outside chance for the title we will continue to fight and that is why I believe that the race for the title is still open as even Sapura will fancy their chances.”
The initial stages were difficult for the Pakistan duo as they failed to forge an understanding with the Maybank strike force.
“It is always difficult to play for a new team and it took some adjusting but we have become more accustomed and have fit in nicely,” said Shakeel.
KLHC losy 4-3 to Tenaga Nasional and were held to a 1-1 draw by Sapura last weekend and can’t afford another disastrous weekend.
Coach K. Dharmaraj’s KLHC are expected to be take to the wire by Maybank, but should collect maximum points against Nur Insafi-MBI on Sunday.
Surprise leaders Tenaga face Nur Insafi today, whom they beat 5-2 in the first leg, but must be at their best against UniKL on Sunday to keep their lead.
As for UniKL: “We have two tough matches, Sapura (Friday) and Tenaga (Sunday) and our target is to collect at least four points this weekend,” said UniKL team manager Amir Azhar.
PREMIER DIVISION
P W D L F A Pts
TNB 6 4 2 0 16 10 14
KLHC 6 4 1 1 26 7 13
Sapura 6 3 1 2 13 11 10
Maybank 6 2 2 2 14 14 8
UniKL 6 1 0 5 11 19 3
Nur Insafi-MBI 6 1 0 5 8 27 3
DIVISION ONE
P W D L F A Pts
BJSS 4 3 0 1 17 - 12 9
Forces 4 2 2 0 6 3 8
T’bolt 4 2 1 1 7 5 7
Johor HA 4 2 0 2 1111 6
Uniten 4 1 1 2 8 10 4
UiTM 3 1 0 2 2 6 3
Politeknik 3 0 0 3 6 10 0
TODAY: Premier Division -- Nur Insafi-MBI v TNB (Azlan Shah Stadium, 5pm), UniKL v Sapura (National Stadium II, 6pm), Maybank v KL Hockey Club (National Stadium II, 8pm).
