KUALA LUMPUR: Coach Tan Cheng Hoe is putting on a brave though nothing is going well for the national football team.
Tomorrow, he could only field a team of second stringers against topo guns Lebanon in an Asia Cup qualifier at Stadium Camille Chamoun Sport City in Beirut.
Lebanon are ranked World No 87 while Malaysia languish at a lowly World No 178.
Clearly, the odds are stacked against Malaysia as Lebanon are top of Group B while Cheng Hoe’s team are bottom, behind North Korea, Palestine and Hong Kong in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
Cheng Hoe said he has faith in his team despite Harimau Malaya having nine new faces after 12 Johor Darul Ta’zim players were dropped from the team following the 2-2 draw with Mongolia at Bukit Jalil on Thursday.
He said the 23 players in his team are capable of doing something against Lebanon.
“The other coaches in the team and I believe that those fielded against Lebanon will shine.
“This is their chance to prove themselves. We also want to give others a chance to play for Malaysia.
“We get to see their abilities. On the positive side, we will have more players to choose from, for the AFF Cup end of the year.
In the first leg at the Larkin Stadium in June last year, Malaysia lost 2-1 to Lebanon despite taking the lead.
After five matches in the Asian Cup qualifiers, Malaysia have collected only one point, from a 1-1 draw with Hong Kong.
Cheng Hoe said based on the national team’s performance against Mongolia, the Malaysia team need to improve on their finishing and tighten their defence.