PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will look to turn the unique characteristics of the Cheras Football Stadium into a weapon when they host Vietnam in the first-leg of their Hyundai AFF Cup semi-final tie on Aug 16.
Malaysia captain and striker Paulo Josue is confident the venue’s smaller pitch and slower surface could unsettle their more fancied opponents.
Unlike the wide-open turf at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium, which favours possession-based sides comfortable playing out from the back, Cheras presents a tighter, more compact challenge.
Josue, 37, explained that the stadium’s cow grass surface slows the ball down considerably, forcing players to take extra touches before they can move it forward.
“I think for them it’s going to be a little bit tough because of the pitch conditions... the stadium is a little bit smaller,” said Josue, who plays for Kuala Lumpur in the Super League.
“We feel very good playing in Cheras at the moment. We have two wins already there, so it’s a good advantage for us.”
Malaysia and Vietnam last met in March, when the senior team suffered a 0-3 defeat away from home, a result Josue says underlines the scale of the task ahead despite home advantage in the first leg.
On leadership, Josue described his captaincy as one built on trust rather than pressure.
“It’s not easy to be leader of the boys. I’m not the kind of captain who keeps annoying them, keeps bothering them about this and that,” he said.
“I’m always there to support them, whatever they choose.”
He singled out several emerging talents benefiting from that approach, including winger G. Pavithran, midfielder Daryl Sham George and fullbacks Alif Ahmad and Farris Danish Mohd Asrul, describing them as players with strong potential for the senior national team.
