PETALING JAYA: National football team coach Peter Cklamovski wants Harimau Malaya to make a statement when they face Laos in the Asian Cup 2027 third-round qualifiers.
The Australian tactician retained 22 players from last month’s international friendlies against Singapore and Palestine for his 29-man squad against the South-East Asian side, while calling up Ghanaian-born striker Jordan Mintah, 30, who recently obtained his Malaysian citizenship, for the first time.
The Kuching City striker will bolster an attack that has been affected by the absence of seven players suspended by FIFA, which includes mixed- heritage attackers Rodrigo Holgado, Imanol Machuca and Joao Figueiredo.
The others suspended are defenders Facundo Garces, Jon Irazabal and Gabriel Palmero and midfielder Hector Hevel.
Cklamovski also showed faith in youth by naming Under-23 pair Aliff Izwan Yuslan and Ubaidullah Samsul Fazili, alongside returning faces Declan Lambert and Ramadhan Saifullah.
Among the other players returning to the national set-up is centreback Junior Eldstal.
Malaysia will first travel to Vientiane for centralised training from Oct 6-- 8, before taking on Laos at the New Laos National Stadium on Oct 9, with the return leg set for the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Oct 14.
Cklamovski said he was proud of the squad’s progress during the September international window, which saw Malaysia beat Singapore (2–1) and Palestine (1–0).
“We utilised pretty much the entire team for both games. Two good challenges for us, two good victories, and I’m proud of all the players and staff for their commitment to the national team,” said Cklamovski.
“It was a good camp, another step forward, which connects to October.
“We’ve got to be professional, disciplined, and continue to be the team we dream of being.’’
Despite the two wins, Cklamovski said he and his players must maintain their hunger for improvement.
“The motto of our team is to get better every day.
“That starts with me, as an individual and as part of the group. I want to keep challenging myself to be better, and hopefully that mindset is injected into everybody and the team ethos.”
Cklamovski expects a challenging outing in Vientiane, warning his players not to underestimate Laos.
“Laos away will be tough. They’re undefeated at home this year, beat Nepal, and will be confident, proud, and emotional.
‘‘We’ll need to manage that emotion, defend strongly, keep a clean sheet, and exploit spaces to attack.”
