Malaysian interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe is rallying his mixed squad of senior players and newcomers to fight together as a unit as they begin their Asean Hyundai Cup 2026 challenge against Myanmar in Yangon on Saturday.
The Harimau Malaya enter their opening Group B match at Thuwunna Stadium looking for a strong start against a Myanmar side boosted by the recent arrival of experienced Norwegian coach Jørn Andersen.
“Of course, we want to reach a certain level in this tournament, and we’ll focus on one game at a time. Hopefully the players can gel and work together, and mostly the harmony in the team is very important for me,” said Tan.
Malaysia won the region’s premier football tournament once, in 2010, when Tan was assistant coach to Datuk K. Rajagopal, and he was in charge in 2018, when Malaysia finished runners-up to Vietnam after losing the final 3-2 on aggregate.
In six previous matches between the two nations, Malaysia and Myanmar have won two matches each, with the Malaysians winning the two most recent encounters in 2022 and 2018, and drawing the other two matches.
With nine uncapped players in his squad, Tan will count on experienced players such as Syafiq Ahmad, Paulo Josué and Mohamadou Sumareh, and knows a good result on Saturday is crucial before their first home game against Laos next Tuesday.
“If you look at Group B, Thailand are the favourites. The rest, I think, will have an equal chance to go to the next round,” he said.
“Playing in any tournament, the first game is always the toughest. This game against Myanmar is very important. We have a good mix of seniors and under-23 players and some of them are on their first call-up, so hopefully we get a positive result.”
Amongst the newcomers, US-based forward Wan Kuzain Wan Kamal is tipped to be given the opportunity to feature prominently for the Malaysians. “We know Wan Kuzain is eager to represent Malaysia. This type of players, this kind of attitude, we need to give him the chance. Hopefully he can gel with the team,” said Tan.
