S'pore Select vs Msia Select

Squads for Malaysia clash announced




Malaysia Selection coach Bertalan Bicskei has named a strong squad to face Singapore Selection on Monday despite the absence of the likes of striker Akmal Rizal and midfielder Tengku Hazman through injury.

The Hungarian regards his current squad as stronger than the one which went down 2-0 to Hong Kong in a World Cup qualifier two weeks ago.

"This squad is stronger than the one which played against Hong Kong. There were too many new faces when we played Hong Kong but this time around, we have a more balanced side.

"The injured players need time to be healthy but I don't think that the players we have now are anything less than what we should have had," said Bicskei at a press conference before his squad left for Singapore.

The names of midfielder K Nanthakumar, utility man Indra Putra Mahayuddin and striker Khalid Jamlus will be familiar to Singapore fans.

Regulars Eddy Helmi and Shukor Adan, who scored against the Lions in Kuala Lumpur two months ago, are also back from injury and into Bicskei's squad.

Meanwhile, Singapore have been boosted by the return of 10 Geylang United and Home United players who missed last week's 5-2 win over a Thailand Selection.

Singapore Selection squad: GK: Shahril Jantan, Hassan Sunny, Lionel Lewis; DF: Aide Iskandar, Baihakki Khaizan, Noh Rahman, S Subramani, Daniel Bennett, Faizal Hamid, Jaslee Hatta, Ismail Yunos; MF: Ridhuan Muhammad, Ishak Zainol, Hasrin Jailani, Goh Tat Chuan, Jamil Ali, Imran Sahib, Tengku Mushadad, Shahril Ishak, Syed Fadhil; FW: Noh Alam Shah, Indra Sahdan, Masrezwan Masturi, Itimi Dickson, Khairul Amri

Malaysia Selection squad: Syamsuri Mustafa, Suffian Abdul Rahman, Azizon Abdul Kadir, Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Chan Wong Hoong, Chow Chee Weng, Eddy Helmi Manan, Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Liew Kit Kong, Wong Sai Kong, Mat Saiful Mohamad, Mohammed Amri Yahyah, Mohammed Azizan Baba, Mohammad Ivan Yusoff, Mohammed Nor Ismail, Khalid Jamlus, Shukor Adan, K Nanthakumar, Norfazly Alias, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Rosli Talib, V Saravanan, Wan Rohaimi Ismail

1X2
Home Draw Away
2.22 3.95 2.35
<2.22> <3.95> <2.35>


1/2 GOAL
Home Away
SPORE SELECT (-1�0†5) 3.75

MALAYSIA SELECT (+1�0†5) 1.20
<3.75> <1.20


TOTAL GOALS
No. of Goals
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9+
13.00 6.90 4.10 4.10 4.60 6.50 9.70 17.00 29.00 31.00
<13.00> <6.90> <4.10> <4.10> <4.60> <6.50> <9.70> <17.00> <29.00> <31.00>


HALF / FULL TIME DOUBLE
Selection
H-H H-D H-A D-H D-D D-A A-H A-D A-A
3.80 12.00 18.00 5.00 8.90 5.50 15.00 13.00 4.55
<3.80> <12.00> <18.00> <5.00> <8.90> <5.50> <15.00> <13.00> <4.55>

GRUDGE MATCH
29th October, 2004 ¨C The cordial atmosphere at the press conference actually hides what was already out there in the making where the match between Singapore and Malaysia this Monday will be nothing more than a fierce derby between two close rivals.

Considering the political as well as the sporting history between the two countries, the game at the Jalan Besar Stadium will do more than allow both coaches to narrow their choice for the Tiger Cup next month but also served as a psychological advantage on the victor.

And this thought is not lost on Malaysian captain Rosdi Talib when he said that the pride of the nation will be at stake.

¡°We want to come away from this match with our pride intact,¡± said Rosdi.

¡°Sure we are using this match to further develop the team for the Tiger Cup to allow the younger players to settle in but it will be a derby and a derby will be hard and difficult.¡±

His Singaporean counterpart Aide Iskandar said that the match against Malaysia will be one of the biggest for the team this year.

¡°Both teams are motivated where apart from wanting to do well, we also want to use this game to further prepare ourselves against Japan in the middle of next month,¡± said Aide.

In the meantime, national coach Bertalan Bicskei said that having to train at night has had its advantages.

¡°After we started training at night, I can tell that it is a lot better where the temperature is just right for the players to play all out and put in 100% in training,¡± said Berty.

¡°There¡¯s less humidity and I believe that in spite of the several injuries in the team, our preparation for this match against Singapore has been good.¡±

Singapore national coach Radojko Aramovic on the other hand, said that there should not be too much inference from the team¡¯s recent win over India and a Thai selection side when they face Malaysia in three days.

The team had beaten India 2-0 in a World Cup qualifying match before beating a side from Thailand 5-2.

¡°Even though this is a friendly, we should not take Malaysia easy,¡± said Aramovic.

¡°We must focus on this game and continue to build this team for the Tiger Cup. We are not under pressure to win, so we should just go out there and play.¡±

MALAYSIA SELECTION TEAM

Ahmad Tharmini Saiban, Chan Wing Hoong, Chow Chee Weng, Eddy Helmi Manan, Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Liew Kit Kong, Wong Sai Kong, Mat Saiful Mohamad, Mohd Amri Yahyah, Mohd Azizan Baba, Mohd Ivan Yusoff, Mohd Nor Ismail, Muhamad Khalid Jamlus, Muhamad Shukor Adan, K. Nanthakumar, Norfazly Alias, Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, Rosdi Talib, V. Saravanan, Wan Rohaimi Ismail, Mohd Syamsuri Mustaffa, Mohd Suffian Abdul Rahman, Azizon Abdul Kadir.

SINGAPORE SELECTION TEAM

Shahril Jantan, Muhammad Ridhuan, Ishak Zainol, Hasrin Jailani, Aide Iskandar, Baihakki Khaizan, Goh Tat Chuan, Noh Alam Shah, Jamil Ali, Indra Sahdan Daud, Imran Sahib, Masrezwan Masturi, Noh Rahman, S. Subramani, Tengku Mashadad, Daniel Bennett, Shahril Ishak, Lionel Lewis, Faizal Hamid, Syed Mohamad Fadhil, Itimi Dickson, Khairul Amri, Jaslee Hatta, Ismail Yunos, Hassan Sunny.

PIX (From left): Radojko Aramovic (Singapore head coach), Aide Iskandar (Singapore captain), Rosdi Talib (Malaysia captain), Bertalan Bicskei (Malaysia head coach).

NORFAZLY-ZAMANI COMBO?
30th October, 2004 ¨C The combination of Norfazly Alias and Norhafiz Zamani Misbah might see the evening light at the Jalan Besar Stadium on Monday as Malaysia prepares to take on Singapore in a much awaited friendly.

With the spot at leftback and rightback likely to be filled by the experienced Rosdi Talib and Wan Rohaimi Ismail respectively, it is the two centreback positions which will perhaps spring a surprise.

In the last game in Hong Kong, the two players who were manning the central defence were Lim Chan Yew ¨C who is out injured at the moment - and Ahmad Tarmini Saiban, who is in the current squad.

The other player vying for the position at centreback is Wong Sai Kong.

¡°I¡¯ve never said that Zamani was not good. He has strong technical abilities even though he may not as tall as the standard central defender,¡± said national coach Bertalan Bickei.

¡°But I have come to understand him and his quality but we will still have to wait for training in the next few days before we can announce the starting line-up.¡±

In the meantime, Zamani realised only too well that players will have to show a lot of consistency in training before they are selected for the first team.

¡°Training has been good and I feel a lot better now than I did before,¡± added Zamani after the team¡¯s training session last night at the Jalan Besar Stadium (pix).

¡°As far as whether I will start the game with Norfazly, I really don¡¯t know. We will have to see about that.¡±

For the soft-spoken Norfazly, the chance to be back with the national team will at least appease his disappointment in the recent FA Cup final defeat to Perak.

Asked whether he has any reservation about a new partnership with Zamani, the Terengganu lad said that it will be a good experience.

¡°Zamani has been playing with the national team for quite some time now, so I¡¯m really looking forward to it if the coach decides to try out the combination,¡± Norfazly said.

FINAL FEW POINTERS
31st October, 2004 ¨C Even without the two lads who scored in the last match against Singapore in the current squad, Malaysia still pack enough firepower to carry the team through in an important friendly tomorrow night at the Jalan Besar Stadium.
With both Mohd Fadzli Saari and Akmal Rizal Rakhli out injured, the team which will take to the field tomorrow might not be that much different from the one which played in the first game in Kuala Lumpur.

And while commitment to training does dictate selection on the field, it is not that difficult to ascertain as to which player will make the starting line-up and which will be warming the bench.

¡°It is an important game for us to win as with the number of injured players that we have now, the game against Singapore will be the last few times that we will have a chance to decide on the combination of players,¡± said Bickei.

¡°Like what I have said before coming here, I believe that we have strong enough players to play in this game.¡±

In the meantime, striker Indra Putra Mahayuddin is quietly confident for the match against Singapore where now, he has relished his new position as an out and out striker.

And from what was shown in training, the Pahang lad should start the game tomorrow although his strike mate will be a toss-up between V. Saravanan and Mohd Khalid Jamlus.

¡°It is an important game for the team as this will be among the last few matches which we will play before the Tiger Cup,¡± said Indra.

¡°Training has been quite testing during Ramadhan but we are all trying to keep things up and make sure that we get back on track after Hong Kong.

¡°As far as my strike mate is concerned, I really do not have any preference just as long as we can play well together.¡±

Midfielder Chow Chee Weng, who is likely to start in his first game since the match against Japan earlier this year, is all raring to go.

¡°It is always an honour to play for Malaysia ¨C what more if you get in the starting line-up,¡± added the 27-year-old.

¡°So I¡¯m really looking forward to the game against Singapore after missing the one in Kuala Lumpur.¡±