KUALA LUMPUR – Oman’s recent coaching changes will not dampen Harima Malayan national team’s desire to prove their mettle in the second round of 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualification against Oman tomorrow in Muscat. , said Kim Pangong, head coach of the national team. .

He said the team has been studying the characteristics of each Omani player in preparation for tomorrow’s match (Friday 2am Malaysia time) in order to compete fiercely against the team ranked 80th in the world.

Ikran

Ikran

Pang Gong admitted that it is difficult to predict the Omani team’s tactical approach after the changes, but it is not an obstacle for Harima Malaya.

“In fact, we have studied a lot of their past matches in the lead up to the Asia Cup. We know that a new manager has recently arrived, so we are very confident that we know all the elements of the Omani team. We don’t have a lot of information, but we’re going to give our team a try because we’re confident in it.” It’s best to understand all the characteristics of this head coach.

“We know all the characteristics of the individual players. I think if we play 10 minutes in tomorrow’s game we will understand the elements,” he said at a live press conference in Oman yesterday.

Pang said Malaysia’s topping of Group D in the second round of 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup qualification will give the national team further tonic to face the Middle Eastern country tomorrow. added.

However, the boys said tomorrow’s match should not be taken lightly as Oman are known for having a strong attacking team.

“We have to stay in the lead. We have to realize that we haven’t beaten Oman yet, so these two games are extremely important. We know that Oman are traditionally strong in attack and “We have to respect them completely,” he added.

Meanwhile, Harimau Malaya captain Dion Cools has not played in any official match, including club level, or in the Malaysian League (M-League) since the 2023 Asian Cup, which was held in Qatar in January last year. , admitted that the squad’s fitness may be lacking. It will only start next May.

“So this may be a small challenge. I think tomorrow it will be very important for us to be mentally strong. Physically, we will give our 100 percent best and we can do that.” But mentally, yeah, you might get tired after 60, 70, 80, even 90 minutes, but it’s important to stay fit.

“We had a friendly before this to prepare, but like I said, I think it’s a mental thing. They need to be ready to give 110 percent more than usual. So I am confident that they will do it for Malaysia,” he said. He said.

The national team played a test match against Nepal in Shah Alam last Friday and won 5-1.

Malaysia, currently ranked 132nd in the world, will play Oman tomorrow at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Muscat before facing Jaroslav Sirhavy’s side again on March 26 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. is.

After the two games against Oman, Pang Gong’s team is scheduled to face Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 and conclude their Group D campaign against Taiwan in Bukit Jalil on June 11.

Malaysia currently leads Group D with six points, followed by second-place Oman with three points and tied with third-place Kyrgyzstan, and Taiwan is at the bottom with zero points.

The top two teams from each group will qualify for the third round and seal their spot in the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers. Meanwhile, the bottom two teams will play in the third round of his 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers. – Barnama