SEPANG, Dec 3 — Harimau Malaya are relying on several senior players who have played in the AFF Cup to guide fresh faces in the competition taking place in Singapore from Sunday.

National squad head coach, Tan Cheng Hoe said the services of senior players such as team captain Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak, Baddrol Bakhtiar and Khairul Fahmi Che Mat were always needed in providing guidance and injecting motivation to new players throughout the competition.

"I hope some senior players can advise and guide new players to build squad compatibility.

"What is important is that the final list of 24 players selected can work as a team and provide a good benchmark for the national team,” he said when met by reporters at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport, before leaving with the team for Singapore today.

In the meantime, he felt that the team is not much different from the 2018 squad that finished as runners-up and is confident that the combination of old and new players will bring positive results.

Asked about the decision to drop Kedah Darul Aman FC’s Mohammad Fayadh Mohd Zulkifli Amin from the final list of 24 players to Singapore, Cheng Hoe said the winger was still inexperienced and hoped he would excel in the Malaysia League (M-League) so that he could be recalled to join Harimau Malaya.

Cheng Hoe lost four players selected in the initial list of 28 players namely two Kuala Lumpur City FC midfielders Kenny Pallraj and Muhammad Akram Mahinan; forward Darren Lok (Petaling Jaya City FC) as well as naturalised player Mohamadou Sumareh (Johor Darul Ta’zim) due to injury.

The 53-year-old head coach expects tough actions for his charges in the opening Group B match against Cambodia, this Monday.

"Usually, the first match in any competition is quite tough because it takes some time for new players to find the rhythm and momentum of the game, not to mention the lack of warm-up matches before the campaign begins,” he said.

Team manager Datuk Mohd Yusoff Mahadi admitted that the preparation of the national squad this time was slightly affected due to the tight Malaysia Cup schedule that saw all the players called to the training camp only recently after the final involving KL City and JDT on Tuesday.

However, Mohd Yusoff, who is also Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) deputy president stressed that it was not an excuse for players not to perform their best in Singapore.

"We know some teams have the best preparation such as Singapore and Indonesia but what is important is that we have to play as a team and the spirit of wanting to win can help us create surprises later,” he said.

He also demanded that players emulate the spirit of KL City players who surprised the favourites and defending champions, JDT 2-0 in the Malaysia Cup final because he believes it is not impossible to create success if players are highly motivated in a competition.

After the action against Cambodia, Malaysia, who were the 2010 champions, will meet Laos on December 9, followed by Vietnam (December 12) and Indonesia (December 19) in the mission to meet the target of reaching the final for the second time in a row. — Bernama