KUALA LUMPUR: Harimau Malaya midfielder Paulo Josue said he does not fear facing Jordan in the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup in Doha, Qatar on Jan 15.
Josue, 34, said they are ready to give a good fight now that national head coach Kim Pan Gon has fed them all the necessary information about the weaknesses of Jordan.
“Jordan will be tough opponents, but the coach has already given us a lot of information about them. There are some weaknesses that we might try to exploit.
“We are here to try to spring some surprises. If they become overconfident, we can surprise them. So, we just need to stay focused and do our job,” he said in an audio clip shared by the Football Association of Malaysia (FAM).
The Brazilian-born also said that he is ready to play the full 90 minutes if chosen by Pan Gon.
“I’m here to help. I’ll just give whatever the coach needs… whether it’s 10 minutes, 15 minutes or 90 minutes. I will give my best and I’m ready to help the boys,” he added.
Malaysia, who ended their 42-year wait to qualify for the Asian Cup on merit, will begin their Group E campaign against Jordan on Jan 15, followed by Bahrain on Jan 20 and two-time champions South Korea on Jan 25.
Only the top two teams from each group and the four best third-placed teams will advance to the last 16 in Doha.
This is Malaysia’s fourth appearance in the Asian Cup after qualifying on merit for three other editions – Iran in 1976; Kuwait in 1980 and as joint hosts with Singapore in 2007 – but they have never advanced to the round of 16.
Harimau Malaya, coached by South Korean Kim Pan Gon, will warm up for the Asian Cup with a friendly against Syria on Monday (Jan 8).
Pan Gon’s team, who arrived in Doha on Monday (Jan 1), are scheduled to face Syria in a friendly today as a warm-up for the tournament proper. – BERNAMA
