PETALING JAYA: Malaysia Under-23 striker Fergus Tierney (pic) has insisted the team will not be fazed by limited preparation time as Harimau Muda begin their AFC Under-23 Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Thailand.
Malaysia will open their Group F campaign against Lebanon at the Thammasat Stadium in Pathum Thani tomorrow.
They will face Mongolia on Sept 6 before taking on hosts Thailand in their final game on Sept 9.
Tierney, who joined the squad just days after a Super League match, said the players were used to balancing club and country commitments.
“I played a league game three days ago and now I’m here in Thailand. This normal,” said 22-year-old Tierney, who played for Thai clubs like Chonburi and Nakhon Pathom United in the past.
“The short training time can’t be an excuse for not performing well. We know each other, we’re comfortable, and we want to do better than how we fared in the AFF.”
Malaysia exited the AFF Under-23 Championship last month in the group stage, but the 20-year-old midfielder believes the squad have learned from that setback.
“We want to improve and show what we can do here,” he said.
Coach Nafuzi Zain said he had named a strong 23-man team with the goal of reaching the finals in Saudi Arabia next year.
“This is the squad I believe will do well in the qualifiers,” said Nafuzi.
“Based on their performances in the league, physically they are the best to carry our challenge. They are spirited and ready for the assignment. I hope we can continue the momentum we’ve shown in training.”
The group winners will qualify automatically for the AFC Under-23 Asian Cup, while only four of the best runners-up from 11 groups will join them.
