Harimau Malaya's Asian Cup hopes tested by off-season lull
KUALA LUMPUR: National coach Peter Cklamovski admits the M-League's off-season break poses a challenge as Harimau Malaya prepare to face Vietnam in their Asian Cup Group F qualifier this June.
Malaysia, under former coach Kim Pan Gon, headed into the 2024 Asian Cup during a league break and returned from Qatar without a single win.
Now, Cklamovski is determined to avoid a repeat, revealing he is planning at least one or two friendly matches to get his players back into competitive rhythm ahead of the June 10 showdown at Bukit Jalil against the world No. 109 side.
The off-season begins after the Malaysia Cup final on Saturday, meaning national players will be out of competitive action for more than a month before the qualifier.
The Australian, however, is confident Malaysia can spring a surprise against Asean Cup holders Vietnam — despite a dismal head-to-head record which has seen Malaysia lose their last five meetings against their regional rivals.
"We will carry out meticulous preparations to face Vietnam," said Cklamovski at the FA of Malaysia's (FAM) Hari Raya open house in Kelana Jaya today (April 23).
"This time, it's slightly more challenging because the league season will have ended and the players are in recovery mode after a long campaign.
"It's a difficult match, but not impossible. We'll give our all. We definitely need one or two friendlies to help the players find their rhythm before the Vietnam clash.
"We'll announce the details of those matches soon."
Both Malaysia and Vietnam currently have three points in Group F, with Vietnam at the top on goal difference.
World No. 131 Malaysia got off to a solid start with a 2-0 win over Nepal on March 25, while Vietnam made a statement by thrashing Laos 5-0.
Only the group winners will advance to the 2027 Asian Cup in Saudi Arabia.
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