KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — The Harimau Malaya squad is set to face Myanmar and Hong Kong as warm-up in friendly fixtures ahead of the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, here, from June 8 to 14.
National team boss Kim Pan-gon said the world number 154, Malaysia would be playing Myanmar (152) on May 27, before facing Hong Kong (147) on June 1, as preparations in Group E of the final round of the Asian Qualifiers.
Pan-gon said the two teams were seen as suitable opponents for Harimau Malaya, before the encounters against Turkmenistan (134) on June 8, Bahrain (89) on June 11 and Bangladesh (188) on June 14 in the bid to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup in China.
Harimau Malaya are set to commence centralised training on May 19, just after the end of the 2022 Super League match day 9 on May 18.
“The three-week centralised training, which includes the two Tier 1 international friendlies, is aimed at giving the coaching staff the opportunity and space to further improve the level of play, cohesion, compatibility and combination of the players before taking on Turkmenistan, Bahrain and Bangladesh.
“Since these upcoming matches are to be held at the National Stadium, I wish to urge the loyal supporters of Harimau Malaya to come forward and express your support, with the hope that it would transmit into the players to perform with energy and positivity, and ultimately take the team to greater heights,” he said in a statement.
According to the statement released by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM), Myanmar will be having their centralised training camp here, before departing to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan for their Group F fixtures with Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Myanmar and Singapore.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong is scheduled to fly off to Kolkata for their Group D fixtures against India, Hong Kong, Afghanistan and Cambodia. — Bernama
