SEPANG: After making thorough preparations for three weeks, the Harimau Malaya are ready to fight for the first three points against Myanmar in the opening Group B match of the 2022 ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup in Yangon, this Wednesday.
Team captain Mohamad Faisal Abdul Halim said it was crucial to win the clash at the Thuwunna Stadium in order to boost the morale of the side, which features many new faces.
He said a victory, even if by a narrow margin, was enough for the national squad, and the most important thing was for the players to succeed in executing all the instructions and tactical approaches of Head Coach Kim Pan Gon during the match.
“In Myanmar, we have to win. For me, the number of goals we score is not important, what I care about is how we approach the game and deal with the pressure in the match.
“Even winning 1-0 is enough, the important thing is to get the three points and play the second match without much pressure. Like it or not, we need to work hard in the first game to get up to speed,“ he told reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) here today.
The last clash between the two teams saw Malaysia beat Myanmar 3-0 in the 2018 AFF Cup group stage at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil.
Meanwhile, Mohamad Faisal said he saw no problems arising in terms of player compatibility although the national team at the AFF Cup this time comprised a unique combination of players involving local, naturalised and mixed-heritage players.
“I hope all the players can give their best (because) we have been together for three weeks, this is the time to prove that they deserve to be in the team,“ said the 24-year-old winger, who confirmed he would not be playing with Terengganu FC next season.
Mohamad Faisal, who is linked to a move to Selangor FC, is among the four players appointed by Pan Gon to take on the responsibility of captaining the team, in addition to Dion Cools, Brendan Gan and Muhammad Safawi Rasid, but Cools will not feature in the AFF Cup this time.
Malaysia are on track to starting the biennial tournament in style after two convincing wins over Cambodia (4-0) and Maldives (3-0) in Tier 1 international friendlies at the National Stadium recently.
After meeting Myanmar, Pan Gon’s men will face Laos in Bukit Jalil on Dec 24, Vietnam in Hanoi (Dec 27) before receiving a visit from Singapore in Bukit Jalil (Jan 3) for the last group fixture. Only the top two teams will qualify for the semi-finals.
Malaysia, who won the title in 2010 and emerged runners-up three times in 1996, 2014 and 2018, were stranded in the group stage in the tournament’s last edition in Singapore.-Bernama