PETALING JAYA, Dec 13 — The friendly match against Malaysia tomorrow will be an important avenue for the tiny archipelagic state of Maldives to enhance their level of football.

Maldives head coach Francesco Moriero said regardless of the results at Kuala Lumpur Football Stadium on Wednesday night, he wants his charges to show certain elements to challenge the Harimau Malaya squad.

The 53-year-old Italian, who had played for Serie A sides AS Roma and Inter Milan, described the match against the world number 146, Malaysia as a crucial test for his charges.

"We don’t want to think about final results because I like positive football with high intensity and organised play. It will be very important for the team to adapt its mentality when playing against stronger teams in high intensity matches.

"It is also very important for the players to have playing minutes and match fitness after last playing in September, while the (Dhivehi Premier) League, (which ends in August) will only begin in March,” he said in a pre-match press conference here today.

Maldives, a country with a population of over 540,000 people, is ranked 154th in the world, beat Brunei 3-0 and Laos 3-1 in friendly matches in September, and is scheduled to face Singapore on Saturday.

Meanwhile, defender Samooh Ali said the Red Snappers squad is prepared to give the Malaysian side a strong challenge despite the disparity in level.

"Malaysia is a strong side, they play a very fast game with high intensity. But we will give a tough fight and it will be a good experience playing against Malaysia,” he said.

Malaysia have won in all four matches against Maldives previously, with a 3-0 win the last meeting in a 2018 friendly fixture.

Harimau Malaya under the tutelage of Kim Pan Gon began their 2022 AFF Cup preparations with a 4-0 win against Cambodia, last Friday. — Bernama