The 2014 Malaysia Cup moves into the knockout stages with four quarterfinal match-ups over two legs starting from Oct. 3 to Oct. 18.
All eyes will be on defending champions Pahang FA who are aiming to win it for the fourth time in their illustrious history, having ended a 21-year trophy drought with a 1-0 victory over archrivals Kelantan in the final last year, courtesy of a goal from Argentine striker Matias Conti.
Zainal Abidin's men will have to overcome the surprise package of this year's tournament, PDRM FA who march into the quarterfinals as one of two undefeated teams along with Johor Darul Takzim [JDT].
PDRM not only managed five wins and one draw, they also finished the group stages as the top scoring team with 15 goals coming from the attacking diamond of Ali Ashfaq (six), Bobby Gonzales (four), Chad Souza (three), Alafi Mahmud (one) and an own goal.
This battle will pit two Malaysian legends against each other as Abidin takes on his counterpart Azman Adnan -- the duo spent years playing alongside each other in the Malaysian national team during the 1990s.
Over in Petaling Jaya at the MBPJ Stadium, Felda United FC will go up against Selangor FA in a local derby to decide which club moves into the semifinals to take on either Pahang or PDRM.
Having won promotion from the Malaysian Premier League to the Super League along with PDRM, Felda paid no heed to reputations and finished top of Group A, ahead of Pahang and Singaporean outfit, LionsXII.
Head coach Irfan Bakti Abu Salim made an inspired signing by taking Indra Putra Mahayuddin to the club and the veteran winger played the role of captain marvel in his first season alongside four-goal striker Edward Junior Wilson, with Shahrulnizam Mustapa, Zah Rahan Krangar and Ndumba Makeche in support.
Selangor has had a renaissance of a season, finishing second in the Super League behind champions JDT with former Muangthong FC forward, Paulo Rangel leading the way with 26 goals in 25 matches.
Despite failing to reach their potential in Group B and settling for second spot, Rangel's sizzling form saw him net three goals while his support cast of Hazwan Bakri and Indonesian flyer Andik Vermansyah grabbed two apiece.
Coach Mehmet Durakovic needs his golden trio to play in close proximity if the Red Giants are to win a record 33rd title.
Over at the Darul Aman Stadium in Alor Star, Kedah FA play hosts to Kelantan in what will be a titanic tussle between two evergreen captains, Baddrol Bakhtiar for the home team and Bahdri Radzi for the visitors.
The Canaries topped Group B with former West Ham United academy product Billy Mehmet finding the back of the net five times, ably assisted by Bakhtiar as a second striker in a formation that head coach Tan Cheng Hoe has tailormade to bring the best out of his attacking assets.
Kelantan, led by former Dutch International George Boateng, are a team in transformation but managed to get out of the group stages to finish second behind JDT in Group C.
The Red Warriors revolve their play around Liberian striker Francis Forkey Doe who has four goals in this campaign while the midfield quartet of former Middlesborough FC's Mohamed Shawky, Ahmad Fakri Saarani, Brendan Gan, Shakir Ali and Fitri Omar will need to step up in order to get past a buoyant Kedah team.
The final quarterfinal tie is a glamorous one with Malaysian Super League Champions Johor Darul Takzim FC confident of getting the job done against Terengganu FA.
Head Coach Bojan Hodak has found the perfect mix of defensive grit and attacking verve as the Southern Tigers conceded one solitary goal in the group stages while their Argentine strike force of Jorge Pereyra Diaz and former Villarreal forward, Luciano Figueroa have seven goals between them.
Safiq Rahim and Singapore midfielder Hariss Harun are in perfect tandem down the middle but may come up against stiff opposition in the shape of Terengganu's in-form winger, Ashaari Shamsuddin who will have Mario Karlovic alongside him.
Abdul Rahman Ibrahim will rely on Turtles' captain, Ismail Faruqi Asha'ri and Zairo Anuar to stop the home team from dictating the pace while attempting to launch quick counterattacks to find Moustapha Dabo and Javier Estupinan in the final third.