KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s friendly match against Spain tomorrow will be an important yardstick to gauge the ability of the ‘Speedy Tigers’ to compete against a World class European side that is known for its high-intensity style of play.
Playing against a world-class team just days before the 2023 World Cup in Bhubaneswar-Rourkela, India, from Jan 13 to 29, will certainly serve as a final warm-up before facing the real challenge.
Team skipper Muhammad Marhan Mohd Jalil (pix) said the warm-up match against Spain which is ranked number eight in the world will be a vital platform to rectify any weaknesses before heading into the prestigious competition.
The match will be an acid test for the defenders who will be trying to contain the speed and agility of the players from Europe and a good performance will certainly serve as a motivation to the team coached by A. Arul Selvaraj.
“Currently, the players are in the best condition, both physically and mentally. The players are also adapting well to the playing and weather conditions in India,“ he said through a video recording that was distributed by the Malaysia Hockey Confederation to the media today.
After facing three times world champion Holland in their opening Group C match on Saturday, Malaysia ranked 11th in the world will face Chile (22nd) on Jan 16 and complete the group fixtures against New Zealand (9th) on Jan 19.
According to the format of the tournament, the winner of the group will automatically move into the quarterfinals while teams that finish second and third will face teams from Group D (England, India, Spain, Wales) in a knockout playoff for a place in the quarterfinal.
Malaysia’s participation in the World Cup hosted by India will be the country’s 9th appearance in the World Cup since its inception in 1971 while Malaysia’s best-ever achievement is a fourth-place finish in the 1975 edition hosted in Kuala Lumpur.-Bernama
