Man City Skipper Says Match Against Malaysia Will Serve As Good Pre-Season Training

PETALING JAYA (Selangor, Malaysia), June 7 (Bernama) -- Newly crowned English Premier League (EPL) champion, Manchester City FC, will be using the opportunity of playing against a Malaysian Selection to prepare for the 2012/13 season, said its team captain Vincent Kompany. "The game is very important for us because it was one of our training programme for the new season. We will treat the game very seriously. "I feel the match will also benefit the Malaysian team. I was told that they are preparing for a big competition at the end of the year. It will a good game to showcase the talent," said Kompany in a one-on-one interview session with Bernama, here Wednesday. "All of us need to work harder to retain the title. We can't stop with just winning the Premier League title. We want to win other competitions and the Champions League," he added. The dramatic 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers to snatch the EPL title for the first time in 44 years at the Etihad Stadium, would still fresh in the minds of football fans around the world. The 26-year-old Kompany was here for a one-day visit for the Manchester City FC versus Malaysian Selection ticket sales launch. The match between Manchester City FC and a Malaysian Selection will be held on July 30 at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil starting 9.45pm and the ticket sales starts Thursday. Kompany noted that the team was very excited to come to Malaysia as they knew that there was strong support from Malaysian fans and also the region. "The fans have always made us feel stronger," said Kompany, who is also the captain of the Belgium national team. The Belgian is best remembered for scoring the solitary goal in his team's 1-0 win over bitter rivals Manchester United during the Manchester derby, a result that shifted the momentum for the City team, towards the title charge. -- BERNAMA