KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 3 — After being disappointed at the final in the last edition, Harimau Malaya have told been to avenge against Vietnam at the coming AFF Cup, which will start this Sunday to January 1 in Singapore.

In a pep talk during breakfast with the national team this morning, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) president, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said the South-east Asian stage should not be a problem for the national squad.

“I wish to stress here that this time we must beat Vietnam to prove that Malaysia are equally strong and great.

“When you are in the team and wear the Harimau Malaya jersey, I want all players to give all their best and stay focused throughout the championship,” he said in a statement.

Malaysia, drawn in Group B, would open the campaign against Cambodia this Monday (December 6), followed by Laos (December 9), Vietnam (December 12) and Indonesia (December 19) in the mission to achieve the target of advancing to the final for the second consecutive time.

The last time Harimau Malaysia recorded a win over Vietnam was the 4-2 success at the second semi-finals of the 2014 AFF Cup, while six subsequent meetings in various championships saw the Golden Dragon won five times and drew once.

Most painfully was when the 2018 AFF Cup slipped out of Malaysia’s hands, when they narrowly lost through an aggregate result of 2-3, after being tied 2-2 at the National Stadium, Bukit Jalil at the first final and losing 0-1 at the second final in Hanoi.

Hamidin regarded the squad coached by Tan Cheng Hoe which left for Singapore this afternoon, as the best line-up with a combination of young players and experienced players to shoulder their respective responsibilities in the competition.

“We have young players like Mukhairi Ajmal Mahadi, Luqman Hakim Shamsudin and Arif Aiman Hanapi; older players like Safawi Rasid, experienced senior players like Aidil Zafuan Abdul Radzak, Baddrol Bakhtiar and Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, and heritage players such as Dion Cools, Junior Eldstal and Quentin Cheng.

“We also have naturalised player, Guilherme de Paula and the 20 players who departed from Kuala Lumpur, with four players from abroad, who will join the team in Singapore later —  Junior, Dominic Tan, Luqman Hakim and Dion Cools — I reckon are ready to shoulder the responsibility to carry the name of Malaysia,” he said.

In the meantime, Hamidin urged Malaysians to pray for the success of Harimau Malaya, after they cheered and supported the team at the 2018 AFF Cup, which clearly was a catalyst to push the national players to emerge as runners-up in the edition.

“This time, it is not impossible for us to repeat the success of advancing to the final and lifting the Cup despite the realisation that the constraints of Covid-19 would make it difficult for us all to be in Singapore.

“But let us in Malaysia pray for the success of the team and continue to give solid support despite being from afar,” he added. — Bernama