Zainal wants his boys to retain Malaysia Cup

PETALING JAYA: Pahang coach Zainal Abidin Hassan has thrown down the gauntlet to his players to defend their Malaysia Cup crown.

The defending champions have been drawn with Singapore’s Lions XII, Premier League outfits Felda United and Johor Darul Ta’zim II in Group A. Pahang have retained most of their Malaysia Cup-winning squad players from last season, and the Elephants went on to win the FA Cup by beating Felda United in the final last month.