Malaysian Legend: 'Vietnam's National Team Should Be Worried About Us'

Former striker Safee Sali believes Malaysia does not need to fear the opponent, because Vietnam's national team itself must find ways to cope in the upcoming rematch.

Former Malaysian national team striker Safee Sali recently made a noteworthy comment ahead of the rematch between Malaysia and Vietnam's national team in the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. According to HMetro, Safee Sali stated that Malaysia should not be overly concerned about external factors but needs to fully focus on its own playing style to aim for a good result.

According to Safee Sali, Malaysian players do not need to worry too much about Vietnam's national team's strength. This former star believes that the opponent itself is the team that must prepare very thoroughly for the upcoming encounter, because Malaysia currently possesses a level capable of causing significant difficulties for any team in the Southeast Asian region.

“They (Vietnam's national team) are certainly worried about Malaysia and they must think of ways to stop our national team. But for me, in the national team, we only have to focus on our own team." — former national team player Safee Sali stated to the press.

Additionally, Safee Sali also believes that the current form and playing standard of Malaysia's national team are sufficient to make opponents cautious. He believes that Vietnam's national team will have to spend considerable time analyzing Malaysia's playing style if they want to find an effective coping strategy in the upcoming match.

“Whatever happens out there, even if Vietnam or Indonesia make various complaints, I don't think we need to worry. Now we have a standard that makes them concerned. Therefore, we just need to continue maintaining this momentum and focus on our own strengths," he said.

According to the schedule, the return match between Vietnam's national team and Malaysia within the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers will take place on March 31. This is considered a crucial showdown in the competition for the group's ticket to advance.

Previously, the Malaysian Football Association received unfavorable notification from the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) related to the controversies over player naturalization issues. However, at present, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has not yet issued a final decision regarding whether to award default losses to Malaysia in the two away matches against Vietnam's national team and Nepal.

In the event Malaysia is penalized with losses in both aforementioned matches, this team will almost have no chance to compete for the Asian Cup 2027 final round ticket with Vietnam's national team, regardless of the result of the upcoming return match.