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Johor Darul Ta'zim have been the dominant force in Malaysian football for the past decade, winning the Super League in the past six seasons, and with a seventh consecutive title now within reach. What happened over the weekend? JDT kicked off this round's action with an emphatic 6-1 win on Saturday over Selangor, who are traditional contenders but have fallen by the wayside this term. Malaysia international Safawi Rasid, rumoured to be on his way to Portugal's Portimonense, grabbed the opening two goals of the game. Rising star Ramadhan Saifullah also notched a brace to go along with further strikes by Diogo and Gonzalo Cabrera. The victory stretched their lead at the top of the table but Kedah's 3-1 win over Sabah on Monday reduced the deficit to six points, and they remain the likeliest to stop the reigning champions. How soon can Johor Darul Ta'zim wrap up the title? In a coronavirus-shortened campaign, the 2020 Super League campaign will see teams play just 11 matches -- which means just three rounds remain. With JDT's six-point lead, a draw against Petaling Jaya City on Friday coupled with a Kedah loss at Pahang on Saturday would be enough to see them claim an unassailable seven-point advantage over their closest challengers. However, third-placed Perak are still in the hunt and could still mathematically remain within touching distance by the end of this weekend, regardless of the fact that they are unlikely to overhaul JDT on goal difference in the final two weeks. As long as Johor win and Kedah do not, the title will be headed to the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium once again. Who else would be worth keeping an eye on in the closing stages? While the Super League champions qualify for the AFC Champions League, the runners-up also qualify for the second-tier AFC Cup. While the AFC Cup may not be as illustrious as the ACL, it will pit the Malaysian representatives against their Southeast Asian counterparts and the regional rivalry has traditionally garnered interest. Prior to JDT's current reign, they earned their stripes in the AFC Cup and their win in 2015 was arguably a pivotal moment in their rise. Melaka United have been one of the surprises of 2020 and would be higher up the table if not for a three-point deduction meted out by the Football Association of Malaysia earlier in the season. They will still be looking for a strong end to the campaign. Bottom side PDRM were also slapped with a similar points deduction and have mustered just two draws this season, meaning they are currently on minus-one point in the standings. PDRM were always expected to struggle but it will be interesting to see if they can avoid the ignominy of finishing the campaign on negative points.
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