KUALA LUMPUR, Dec 14 — The national football team suffered a huge blow today when skipper Mohamad Aidil Zafuan Abd Radzak and Shahrul Mohd Saad, both key centrebacks, were ruled out of Malaysia’s final Group B match against Indonesia in the Asean Football Federation (AFF) Cup 2020 in Singapore on Sunday.

Head coach Tan Cheng Hoe will now be counting on Dion Cools, who is expected to join the squad in Singapore on Thursday and Dominic Tan to fill the two centreback spots.

“We will definitely miss Aidil and Shahrul as they have been the team’s defensive pillars of late. We hope Dion and Dominic will be able to form a solid defensive partnership.

“We hope Cools will add a touch of ‘coolness’ to the team. With his experience, he can help the team as we will definitely need all the cool heads we can since we have lost some very good players. I hope whoever is fielded will be ready for any eventualities,” he told a press conference held online today.

Cheng Hoe, however, said he is not worried about taking on the Garuda without Mohamad Aidil and Shahrul, who are expected to be out for a week.

“In football, we have faith in all the players we have brought here and we must give them confidence. If we continue to have doubts over ther capabilities, then surely it will affect their game,” said the 53-year-old coach.

Cheng Hoe, however, hopes to be able to field winger Muhammad Faisal Abdul Halim, who has rejoined the team after being declared free of Covid-19, against Indonesia.

Meanwhile, the coach admitted that Indonesia had made some tactical tweaks to their game under the guidance of South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong as well as due to the emergence of several young and talented players.

“Tae-yong has brought a new generation of players this time… younger and more energetic players. We can see they now play with speed. I hope we do not fall into their trap. They have also undergone good preparations.

“If we look at how they played in their earlier two matches, it’s clear that they are more energetic, spirited and created a lot of chances. So, we have to be wary of their swift attacks,” said Cheng Hoe. — Bernama