PETALING JAYA: Every morning at breakfast, Indonesia coach John Herdman hears the same message from locals: “You have to beat Malaysia.”
The Englishman says the remark has made clear to him just how intense the rivalry between the Garuda and Harimau Malaya runs, and he knows exactly what is required when the two sides meet in their FIFA Asean Cup Group A clash at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta today.
“I understand just how important this match is. Every day at breakfast, I hear the same comments,’” said Herdman, who draws on his coaching background in England and Canada.
“As someone who comes from Newcastle, we have a big derby against Sunderland. When I was in Canada, we also played against the United States. Those were huge matches.
Herdman has urged his players to embrace the occasion without losing their composure.
“As I always tell the players, respect the moment. Don’t play by getting carried away by the atmosphere of the match, but respect the game itself,” he said.
He also called on his squad to show respect to a Malaysian side he rates as having quality and dangerous emerging talent.
“What we give on the pitch will be carried by the supporters with us. If we want to win a derby match with the backing of our fans behind us, we have to give everything as usual,” he said.
Indonesia go into the match as favourites, ranked 118th in the world compared to Malaysia’s 136th.
The hosts boast a clutch of European-based players, including goalkeeper Maarten Paes, leftback Calvin Verdonk, rightback Kevin Diks and striker Ole Romeny, alongside local talents such as winger Egy Maulana Vikri, midfielders Rayhan Hannan and Rizky Eka Pratama, and centre-back Rizky Ridho.
They will face a Malaysia side led by interim coach Tan Cheng Hoe, who will look for revenge after losing to Indonesia 1-4 defeat in the 2021 AFF Suzuki Cup.
Malaysia’s last win over their rivals came in 2019, a 2-0 victory in 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying. Both teams opened their campaigns with wins on Friday, Malaysia beat Bangladesh 3-0, while Indonesia defeated Singapore 2-0.
