KUALA LUMPUR: M-League coach Irfan Bakti believes that Malaysia's two "small guys" upfront will trouble the bigger Jordanians tomorrow in the Asian Cup in Doha.
Irfan, who played in the 1976 Asian Cup in Tehran, said pint-sized wingers - Arif Aiman Hanapi and Faisal Halim - are Malaysia's main weapons.
He even likens them to the Mohamaed Salah-Sadio Mane combination when the duo played together at Liverpool.
"Our wingers on the right and left (Arif and Faisal) are our main weapon. Despite being 'small', they have their advantages. They are the team's assets," said Irfan.
He feels that Malaysia can upset Jordan, and cited the 2018 English Premier League match between West Bromwich Albion and Manchester United as an example.
Underdogs West Brom stunned United 1-0, and this resulted in Manchester City taking the league title.
Irfan believes that world No. 130 Malaysia can be that underdogs against No. 87 Jordan,
Irfan, who feels that Harimau Malaya should have confidence in their own ability, said: "When facing bigger teams, don't overly respect your opponents."
After Jordan, Malaysia will play world No. 86 Bahrain on Saturday before meeting two-time Asian Cup champions South Korea (No. 23) five days later.
He said if Malaysia can perform well against the Chivalrous Ones, it will set the tone for their remaining two group games.
"I think our chances of qualifying for the round of 16 are quite good if we can get maximum points against Jordan."
Irfan said Malaysia had held their own against higher-ranked teams (drew 2-2 twice with Syria) and (1-1 with China) in recent months, and this means Kim Pan Gon's men are ready to take on Class 'A' teams.