KUALA LUMPUR - Oman's recent changes of coaches has not dampened the will of the Harimau Malaya squad to prove their strength in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers match against Oman in Muscat tomorrow, said National head coach Kim Pan Gon.
He said his team had studied the characteristics of each of Oman’s players in preparation for tomorrow's match (2am Friday Malaysian time) in an effort to give fierce a opposition to the 80th best team in the world.
Pan Gon admitted that although it is difficult to predict the Omani team's tactical approach following the changes, it is not an obstacle for Harimau Malaya.
"We actually had studies a lot of their previous games untill the Asian Cup, we are very confident we know all the element of Oman’s team, as we know the new coach arrived lately so we do not have much information, but we will try our best to get all the characteristic of this head coach.
"We know all individual player characteristics, I think in 10 minutes of playing in the game tomorrow we can find out the elements,” he said in a broadcast live press conference held in Oman, yesterday.
Pan Gon added that Malaysia’s position at the top of Group D in the second round of the 2026 World Cup/2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers also gives the national team an additional tonic to compete against the Middle Eastern country tomorrow.
However, he said his boys should not take tomorrow’s match lightly as Oman are known to have strong attacking front.
"We must stay at the top of the table, we must be aware we still have not beat Oman yet, so this two games are crucial. We know Oman are traditionaly strong in attacking, we must fully respect Oman,” he added.
Meanwhile, Harimau Malaya captain Dion Cools admitted that his team may lack in fitness as they have not played in any competitive matches including at the club level since the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar last January as well as with the Malaysia League (M-League) which will only start next May.
"So this may be a small challenge. I think tomorrow, from our side it will be very important to be strong mentally. Physically, we will do 100 percent our best and I'm pretty sure we'll do this. But mentally as well, maybe we'll be tired after 60, 70, 80, maybe 90 minutes. But it's important that we stay strong.
"We had a friendly game also to prepare before this, but like I said, I think it's mental. They need to be ready to go 110 percent even more than usually, so I'm confident they will do that for Malaysia,” he said.
The national team had played in a test match against Nepal which saw them win 5-1 in Shah Alam, last Friday.
Malaysia, currently ranked 132nd in the world, are scheduled to meet Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex, Muscat tomorrow before once again meeting Jaroslav Silhavy’s side at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on March 26.
After the two games against Oman, Pan Gon’s squad are set to face Kyrgyzstan in Bishkek on June 6 and conclude their Group D campaign against Taiwan at Bukit Jalil on June 11.
Malaysia currently lead Group D with six points, followed by second-placed Oman, who share three points with Kyrgyzstan in third place, while Taiwan are at the bottom without any points.
The top two teams in each group qualify for the third round and confirm their place in the 2027 Asian Cup, while the bottom two teams will play in the third round of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers. - BERNAMA