Provisional AFF Cup squad named
coach Tan Cheng Hoe has named a 26-member provisional squad for next month’s AFF Cup.
Centralised training starts today where only 21 players will report to Cheng Hoe. The other five, all from Perak, will do so on Oct 29 as they are preparing for Saturday’s Malaysia Cup final.
Among those who did not make the squad were Pahang’s Matthew Davies and Johor Darul Ta’zim II’s (JDT II) Fazly Mazlan. Davies, the Pahang captain, is nursing a knee injury while Fazly has a personal matter to attend.
The national trainees will be based at the Sains Islam Malaysia University in Nilai and also at the Felda Semarak Institute in Bangi.
Malaysia will face Maldives in their final friendly match at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Nov 3 before the AFF Cup, which starts on Nov 8.
Cheng Hoe will drop three players after the friendly.
Malaysia will open their Group A campaign against Cambodia on Nov 8, followed by Laos (Nov 12), Vietnam (Nov 16) and Myanmar (Nov 24).
Group B comprises Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore and Timor Leste.
There will not be a host nation for this year’s edition. The Asian Football Federation (AFF) have decided on a home-and-away format for the group and knockout stages.
The FA of Malaysia (FAM) have set a top two target for Cheng Hoe’s side.
In the 2016 edition, Malaysia, then under Ong Kim Swee, did not reach the semi-finals.
Cheng Hoe said his team’s opening two matches will be crucial.
“We need good results against Cambodia and Laos as our final two group matches are against Vietnam and Myanmar, who both are on par with Malaysia.
“I have been the coach for almost a year, and I can see that the players are progressing accordingly, although they still need to work harder.
“Our final friendly against Maldives will be a good warm up to test combinations in all departments for the AFF Cup,” said Cheng Hoe yesterday.
The coach noted that Davies was not considered as he will need more than two months to recover from his left knee meniscus tear.
The squad
Goalkeepers: Khairul Fahmi, Farizal Marlias, Hafizul Hakim Khairul Nizam Jothy;
Defenders: Aidil Zafuan Radzak, Adam Nor Azlin, Azrif Nasrulhaq Badrul Hisham, Shahrul Saad, Amirul Azhan Aznan, Nazirul Naim Che Hashim, Syazwan Zainon, Syazwan Andik Ishak, Irfan Zakaria;
Midfielders: Akram Mahinan, Syamer Kutty Abba, Kenny Pallraj, Nor Azam Azih, Azzizan Nordin, Syahmi Safari, Akhyar Rashid, Syafiq Ahmad, Mohamadou Sumareh;
Forwards: Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Safawi Rasid, Ahmad Hazwan Bakri, Zaquan Adha Radzak, Shahrel Fikri Fauzi.