Bahrain Match Will Give Hint of What to Expect from UAE – Malaysian Head Coach

KUALA LUMPUR, May 27 (Bernama) -- Head coach of Malaysian national team Harimau Malay, Tan Cheng Hoe hopes his players will pick up good tips when playing world number 99th ranked Bahrain in a Tier 1 international match at the Bahrain National Stadium in Riffa on Friday. Cheng Hoe said the friendly match against Bahrain could be a ‘teaser’ on what to expect from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in a crucial tie of the World Cup 2022/Asian Cup 2023 qualifiers on June 3 in Dubai. He said this is because Bahrain possess a similar pattern of play with UAE. “The players must absorb and observe the way Bahrain attack and defend because more or less they have a similar game style with UAE. And if our players can do that, we are definitely ready for a (good) game against UAE,” he said in a virtual media conference Wednesday. The 52-year-old coach hoped his players can cope with the pressure after losing 1-4 to Kuwait in a friendly match last Sunday. He said they have to be more careful against Bahrain as the middle-eastern team drew 1-1 with Ukraine in a friendly match on the same day. Cheng Hoe also said that his coaching team are still analysing the fitness level of their players and the tactics to use against Bahrain. He warned his players to expect a tough time against UAE, who appeared to be much stronger than the UAE squad who beat Malaysia 2-1 the last time they met on Sept 10, 2019, at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil. Cheng Hoe told his players to keep a close eye on UAE striker Ali Mabkhout, who bagged a hat-rick to help his team crush Jordan 5-1 in a friendly match last Monday. After the UAE match, Malaysia will play Vietnam on June 11 and Thailand on June 15 to wrap up their Group G fixtures. -- BERNAMA