Safee Sali, one of the heroes who helped Malaysia win the 2010 Asean Championship Cup, is confident Harimau Malaya will qualify for the semifinals of the Asean Championship Cup by beating Singapore at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, tonight.
Malaysia is fourth in Group A with four points from three matches, with Thailand (nine), Singapore (six), and Cambodia (four), ahead of the 2010 champion. Timor Leste is last, having lost all its games.
Only the top two teams in each group qualify for the two-legged semifinals later this month, with the finals also to be played home and away on Jan 2 and 5.
Victory for Malaysia may not be sufficient if Cambodia surprises the already qualified Thailand team, which might opt to rest some players to prevent injuries and suspensions.
“We must not worry about the Thailand-Cambodia game. The team needs to focus on beating Singapore,” said Safee, the top scorer with five goals in the 2010 Asean Championship Cup.
“We may not have all the best available players at our disposal as several players have been recalled by their clubs for other tournaments, but I feel Malaysia is still good enough to beat Singapore.”
The Asean Championship Cup falls outside of Fifa’s international calendar, meaning clubs are not obligated to release their players.
“Having home advantage is a big plus, and with the fans backing the team, I see the boys raising their game,” added Safee.
Thailand is assured of finishing top of Group A no matter the result against Cambodia, meaning it will meet the runner-up of Group B, which is likely to be Indonesia. Vietnam is currently leading Group B.
Cambodia and Malaysia have identical records with four points from three matches, five goals scored, and five conceded.
There is plenty to play for today, but Safee is confident Malaysia will move into the semifinals.
Separately, Safee welcomed the announcement of Peter Cklamovski as Malaysia’s head coach, effective Jan 1, 2025. (https://twentytwo13.my/who-is-peter-cklamovski-harimau-malayas-new-head-coach/)
The Australian, who has been coaching in Japan for the last six years, was assistant to Ange Postecoglou when Australia won the 2015 Asian Cup. He was also Australia’s Under-17 coach before moving to Japan.
“He has spent many years in Japan, and we all know the standard over there is higher than in Southeast Asia,” said Safee.
“I believe he has what it takes to help Malaysia qualify for the 2027 Asian Cup and to break into the top 100 of the Fifa world rankings – the two reasons for his appointment.
“We should give him time to prepare the team and not expect instant results. What matters is to qualify for the Asian Cup.”
