THE head-to-head record favours Vietnam, but Harimau Malaya head coach Peter Cklamovski believes his men are ready to tear the formbook to pieces when the two teams meet in their second Group F match of the 2027 Asian Cup Qualifiers at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tomorrow.
Malaysia last defeated Vietnam 4-2 in the semi-finals of the 2014 AFF Cup in Hanoi and, since then, have lost seven times and drawn once against Vietnam across all competitions.
So, why does the Australian tactician feel that Malaysia are better equipped than ever to turn the tide and end their decade-long winless streak against the Golden Star Warriors?
Two factors stand out: one is the presence of seven new heritage players and the other is that the team have had a proper training camp ahead of this crucial tie.
Cklamovski believes the arrival of the heritage players, together with the presence of the local and naturalised players, will give Harimau Malaya more solidity at the back, creativity in midfield and bite up front.
The seven heritage players in the squad are strikers Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Figueiredo; defenders Jon Irazabal, Facundo Garces and Gabriel Palmero; and midfielder Hector Hevel.
Cklamovski is also satisfied with the players’ commitment throughout the centralised training camp, which began on May 19, saying he believes they now have a clear understanding of the football philosophy he is trying to implement.
“It’s been sharp, and again, our physical numbers keep improving. We’re looking forward to turning all of that into a team performance tomorrow night,” the 46-year-old coach said at a pre-match press conference here today.
Vietnam and Malaysia currently share the top spot in Group F with three points each after winning their opening matches.
With Vietnam having held the upper hand over them for so long, will it stifle the Harimau Malaya players’ tomorrow, or will it spur them to defy the odds?
Cklamovski had this to say: “Instead of being fearful of that (record against Vietnam), it’s a challenge that the players and all the staff in our environment want to embrace... and that opportunity is in front of us.”
Meanwhile, national team captain Matthew Davies said the backline will not take anything for granted despite Vietnam missing two key attackers - Nguyen Cong Phuong and Nguyen Xuan Son.
The Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) player said they’d rather focus on the team’s overall performance rather than individual displays.
“I think one of the differences I’ve noticed under Peter (Cklamovski) is that we’re more focused on how we play as a group rather than our individual performances.
“We’re also focusing on ourselves rather than the opposition. So, while we’re aware (of Vietnam’s strength) and we respect them, I think we’ll be more focused on what we do tomorrow night,” said the 30-year-old player.
