Malaysia aim to repeat magic of 1975 against the Blues

PETALING JAYA: It has been 38 years since Malaysia last beat a visiting English side. Will K. Rajagopal and his boys end the drought against Chelsea tonight?

In 1975, the late Mokhtar Dahari scored a brace in the 2-0 win over Arsenal at the Merdeka Stadium. Yes, it was the era of the Malaysian legends of the yesteryears.

Well, times have changed – especially the current state of Malaysian football.

For the fans the exhibition extravaganza is all about watching their idols in action. In fact, this is the fifth-time the Blues have come to our shores, but their die-hard fans can never seem to get enough of their stars – and what more with the arrival of the “Special One” – Jose Mourinho.

This is pre-season work-out and an opportunity for the fans to catch legends – Frank Lampard, John Terry and company live. More than 40,000 fans are expected to congregate at the Shah Alam Stadium tonight (kick-off 9.45pm) to watch Harimau Malaya take on the Europa League champions.

For Mourinho – the Asia Tour is serious business – to prepare a team he last managed from 2004-2007. This is Mourinho’s second visit to Malaysia – the first was not a working trip but this time he has plenty to do with the Chelsea team ahead of the new EPL season, which kicks off next month.

For the national players it will be the usual “gain the experience and exposure” stuff, which sadly does not reflect much in their performance at the international stage.

The expectations will be high on stalwarts Mohd Safee Sali and Norshahrul Idlan Talaha to show their true form since they last made heads turn at the 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup when Malaysia emerged champions.

Safee is looking forward to the game and expects a change in the Blues’ style of play now that they have a new top class manager on board.