Malaysia head coach Tan Cheng Hoe during the official draw for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification Round 1 at AFC House yesterday. — Bernama photo
KUALA LUMPUR: Deja vu! Malaysia will meet Timor Leste again following the draw for the first round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers.
World No.168 Malaysia, who are also 35th out of the 46 Asian countries competing in the qualifiers, will host the first leg on the second day of Aidilfitri on June 6.
The return leg will be on June 11 at a venue yet to be confirmed.
Harimau Malaya head coach Tan Cheng Hoe was positive after the draw, though he warned his men to stay focused and not to underestimate the 195th ranked Timor Leste, who are expected to field several naturalised players.
“We saw in the ASEAN Football Federation (AFF) Cup competition how Timor Leste posed a threat going forward. There is also a possibility that they may field two or three naturalised players to boost their spirits.
“This match is also crucial for us, so I hope the players will be fully focused, not overconfident and ensure that the Hari Raya celebrations do not affect our preparations.
“They have to sacrifice Hari Raya this year for the sake of the nation,” he told reporters after the draw ceremony at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) headquarters yesterday.
During the 2015/16 World Cup and Asian Cup joint qualifiers, Malaysia and Timor Leste were drawn in Group A, with Malaysia drawing 1-1 on June 11, 2015 at home and winning 1-0 away on October 13, 2015.
Then, in the Asian Cup qualifying playoff, Malaysia met Timor Leste again, with the former winning 6-0 on aggregate.
However, AFC nullified the result and Timor Leste were barred from participating in the 2023 Asian Cup qualifiers after being found guilty of fielding 12 ineligible players.
Even if Timor Leste beat Malaysia in the first round of the 2022 Qatar World Cup and 2023 Asian Cup joint qualifiers, they won’t be able to progress any further in the Asian Cup qualifiers.
The first round draw of the continent’s qualifying tournament featuring the region’s 12 lowest ranked national teams, including Malaysia.
The winners of the two legged ties will advance to the next phase of the competition, which will be determined at the official draw for the 2022 World Cup finals in Qatar in July. — Bernama