Cheng Hoe calls up three more players

Malaya coach Tan Cheng Hoe has made the decision to call up three more players including national Under-23 (U-23) squad forward R. Kogileswaran for centralised training which begins on Monday.

Kogileswaran, who helped Ong Kim Swee’s squad reach the second round in the Asian Games football competition recently, has been called up together with Kedah defender Syawal Nordin and Sabah midfielder Azzizan Nordin, just two days after Cheng Hoe announced the initial list of 24 players that were called up for centralised training.

Kogileswaran, who now plays for Pahang in the Malaysia Super League, is being called up for the second time while for Azzizan this will be his first.

The 19 year old player will link up with nine other players who featured in the Asian Games, where the national U-23 squad pulled off a stunning 2-1 win over defending champions South Korea to emerge as champions of Group E.

Cheng Hoe will be looking to try out new combinations this time round, as he has only retained 16 players from the squad that defeated Fiji 1-0 on July 5. Among the fresh faces called up are Farizal Marlias (Johor Darul Ta’zim), Shahrel Fikri Md Fauzi (Nakhon Ratchasima), Akhyar Rashid (Kedah), Nik Akif Syahiran Nik Mat (Kelantan), and veteran forward Norshahrul Idlan Talaha (Pahang).

All the players will report in for centralised training this coming Monday in preparation for two Class A international friendly matches against Taiwan in Taipei on September 7 (Friday) and Cambodia in Phnom Penh on September 10 (Monday), which will be tune-up matches for the upcoming AFF Cup which takes place in November.

The Harimau Malaya squad will also sharpen their fangs and claws by playing another three international friendlies against Sri Lanka in Colombo on October 12 (Friday), Kyrgyzstan at home at the Hang Jebat Stadium in Melaka on October 16 (Tuesday), and Maldives at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on November 3 ().

For the AFF Cup campaign, Malaysia have been drawn in Group A together with Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Myanmar.