Saravanan hopes Malaysia can lift AFF U-23 trophy on his birthday

Counting on good fortunes: Winger T. Saravanan will turn 21 on Feb 26 which is the final of the AFF Under-23 championships. — FAM

PETALING JAYA: Winger T. Saravanan is eyeing a day to remember in Cambodia.

His 21st birthday falls on Feb 26 which is the final of the AFF Under-23 championships.

And his wish may just come true as Malaysia’s challenge for the knockout stage has been made easier with the withdrawal of arch-rivals Indonesia in the tournament which starts on Tuesday in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The fancied Indonesia withdrew after seven players and one team official tested positive for Covid-19, while four others were close contacts and had to undergo quarantine.

“It’ll be nice to win a trophy with the Under-23 team for the first time and it will be more memorable to do it on my birthday,” said Saravanan.

But first, Malaysia must clear their Group B matches against Myanmar (Feb 15) and Laos (Feb 18).

They were supposed to play Indonesia on Feb 21 but now, they have one fewer team to be worried about.

In Group A are Cambodia, Timor Leste, the Philippines and Brunei while Group C have Thailand, Vietnam and Singapore.

The three group winners and the best second-placed team will play in semi-finals on Feb 24.

Saravanan, who left for Cambodia with the team yesterday, said they have had the best of preparations.

“We gathered for two weeks and played some friendly games. We now have better understanding and chemistry.

“We have to sharpen just a little more before facing Myanmar,” he said.

“We’ve new players and those who featured in the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifiers last year, but the bond is good.”

Meanwhile, coach Brad Maloney has given the thumbs up on the players’ commitment.

“The boys have done quite well. They’ve come a long way in a short period of time.

“We hope they will duplicate what we have done in training onto the pitch,” said Maloney.

“This is an opportunity for some of the younger ones to gain experience at international level and also to give exposure to those who haven’t played much at this level before,” said the Australian.

In the 2019 edition, Indonesia beat Thailand 2-1 in the final.