PETALING JAYA, March 8 — Harimau Malaya’s head coach, Kim Pan Gon is hopeful that his team can secure at least a point ahead of their third Group D fixture against Oman during the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex on March 21.

Acknowledging the daunting task that lies ahead in Muscat, Pan Gon, however, said that Malaysia must rise to the challenge against the current 80th ranked team in the world.

"We need to secure a point, although it’s difficult for the 132nd ranked team (Harimau Malaya) to play against the 80th ranked team (Oman) away from home.

"We also need to adjust to the time difference; with the match scheduled at 10pm, it will be early in the morning (2am) here, making it very tough,” he told reporters during the first day of the central training camp period today.

The South Korean coach also expressed concern that his players might struggle to regain match fitness, given that the new season of the Malaysian League (M-League) is set to kick off in May.

"Our situation is not ideal at the moment, considering the league ended last December and the new season won’t start until May. Players need regular game time week in and week out.

"After the 2023 Asian Cup, our players had zero game time, and some M-League clubs haven’t even started their pre-season. So, physically, we are behind, and playing away from home during Ramadan adds to the challenge,” he said.

In the meantime, the 54-year-old revealed that Harimau Malaya will face Nepal, ranked 175th in the world, on March 15 in a closed-door International Tier 1 Friendly at the FAM Headquarters in Kelana Jaya ahead of the trip to Muscat.

Malaysia are on track to make history by qualifying for the third round of the World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers for the first time, currently leading Group D with a three-point advantage over Oman.

Pan Gon’s team secured two victories against Kyrgyzstan (4-3) and Taiwan (1-0) last year to top the group. Oman, in second place, share points with Kyrgyzstan, while Taiwan trail without any points.

Meanwhile, Pan Gon expressed disappointment at the calls from certain local media for him to step down following Malaysia’s 0-4 loss to Jordan in the opening fixture of Group E at the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha last January.

As such, he emphasised the need for time and support from all parties, including the fans, to elevate the standard of Harimau Malaya.

Following the heavy defeat against Jordan, the national team suffered a 0-1 loss to Bahrain and managed a 3-3 draw against South Korea in the final group match but a single point was not sufficient to lift the team past the group stages. — Bernama