Players and coach Kadir also want to face Selangor

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The majority of the Republic's LionsXII team preparing to venture into football competitions across the Causeway next year named Selangor as their preferred opponents when the Malaysia Super League (MSL) kicks off on Jan 10.

The draw for the new season will be conducted at midday today at the Grand Bluewave Hotel in Shah Alam, and LionsXII skipper Hariss Harun hopes his team will meet Singapore's biggest Malaysia Cup rivals Selangor in the season opener.

"Any team will do, to be honest, but Selangor will be special," said Hariss, on the sidelines of the team's training session yesterday. "Singapore's rivalry with Selangor has become legendary and it will be a crowd-puller for us to open the season against them."

At the Geylang field yesterday, assistant coach Kadir Yahaya put his charges through an intense 90-minute workout, with head coach V Sundramoorthy in Kuala Lumpur for the draw.

Ex-Lion Kadir also wants Selangor first, and wants to avoid the in-form teams like defending MSL champions Kelantan and 2011 Malaysia Cup winners Negeri Sembilan.

"I would love to open our season at home to give the boys extra motivation to perform, and get a good result so that the crowds will start coming to the games," said Kadir.

Midfielder Taufiq Rahat and forward Sufian Anuar both want Terengganu as their first opponents, while defender Madhu Mohana and striker Khairul Amri prefer Negeri Sembilan.

"I watched a lot of Negeri's Malaysia Cup matches on TV and I'm a fan of their captain Shukor Adan," said Amri. "I'd love to go up against him to start off the season."