Change of routine: The national footballers doing some stretching exercises at a training session ahead of their World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers against Oman. Inset: Stuart Wilkin speaking to the media. — Bernama
PETALING JAYA: The Harimau Malaya will need to tread lightly when they take on Oman, who have a new coach at the helm.
The two sides will meet in the World Cup 2026-Asian Cup 2027 second-round qualifiers on March 21 in Muscat and in Bukit Jalil on March 26.
Malaysia are currently top of Group D but second-placed Oman had announced former Czech Republic national coach Jaroslav Silhavy as their new head coach last month.
Not knowing what Silhavy has implemented in the Oman squad, Malaysia’s Stuart Wilkin said the team will be on high alert as they take them on.
“We have to be wary and prepare well for this change (Oman’s new head coach).
“It’s possible we will face big challenges against them and I definitely think we will have to keep that in mind going into the two matches against them,” he said when met at the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
Wilkin is part of the centralised training camp under head coach Kim Pan-gon which started on Friday (March 8) for the upcoming fixtures, including a closed door friendly against Nepal on Friday (March 15).
After a superb performance during the Asian Cup in Qatar, the 26-year-old Wilkin said he wants to keep the momentum going.
“I’m looking to continue the form and I look forward to the upcoming games. We’ve had a short time off but now it’s time to get back to work.
“It’s time to work on our fitness again and hopefully, we can all give a good performance in the next fixtures,” said the Sabah player.
With 33 players called up for centralised training, Wilkin said the healthy competition among the players is good for the team’s overall performance.
“All the players that are here deserve to be here for various reasons. Everyone’s brought together to push each other and fight for spots.
“Nothing is ever guaranteed, so everyone needs to be fighting for all the positions in the team.”
Malaysia had won their previous two matches in the qualifiers against Taiwan (1-0) and Kyrgystan (4-3) last November.
Wilkin said the crucial games coming up in the middle of their qualifying campaign will be a challenge but the previous wins come as a confidence boost.
“It’s been a great start to our World Cup qualifiers campaign. Hopefully, we can build on the good results that we’ve already had and get more going forward,” he said.
