JOHOR BARU: National head coach Kim Pan-Gon deliberately chose one stronger team and another of equivalent strength to the national team as their upcoming friendly match opponents
Harimau Malaya, ranked 145th, will meet Turkmenistan (135th) at the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium in Iskandar Puteri tomorrow night, before facing Hong Kong (146th) on March 28 at the same venue.
The South Korean-born coach said his team stood to gain valuable experience and ranking points from the tier one international friendlies.
Turkmenistan had lost 3-1 to Malaysia during the Asian Cup Qualifiers last year.
"For Turkmenistan, we accepted their proposal because I think they were disappointed about losing to us, so they are eager to come here to prove that they are better than Malaysia," said Pan-Gon during the pre-match press conference here today.
"So we are happy to invite them here for a rematch, as we also want to prove that we are still the better team. I think it should be an interesting game tomorrow."
He added that the two friendlies would show how eager the national team are to prepare for next year's Asian Cup, as well as the 2026 World Cup qualifiers which are scheduled to start in November.
"The World Cup qualifiers and Asian Cup final round are very important for the future of Malaysian football."
Meanwhile, Pan-Gon admitted he was facing difficulties in deciding the starting line-up against Turkmenistan, as all 27 of his players -- including eight new faces -- are currently in their best shape and ready to play.
"The new players are adapting well, and showed us their ambition and passion to be better. I'm confident anyone can be in the first eleven, as everybody is very fit. I'm having a headache making the list," he said.
Pan-Gon is also excited to go through a new experience managing the team during the month of Ramadan, which is expected to start tomorrow. He, however, does not feel that fasting will have much of an effect on his players' performance in training or in the matches.
Meanwhile, FAM officials said Turkmenistan are expected to arrive here in the late evening and will not undergo training, but instead only go to the match venue to inspect pitch conditions.--BERNAMA