Australia vs Malaysia - A feast to behold!

P.Ravindran, once a speedster for Perak, was the man behind the 1-0 victory against Australia in the Indonesian Independence Cup in 1992. Being assisted by the elegendary Zainal Abidin Hassan, Ravindran was the hero of the game as he sealed the tie in the 70th minute.

Fast forward 19 years, Malaysia is going to face Australia tomorrow in an International Friendly match at Canberra. Having played the Australians 5 times, Malaysia have won once and lost 4 times against the Oceania giants. The gap between these two teams is becoming bigger as Australia have qualified for the last 2 world cups whereas Malaysia are beginning to make themselves count in the ASEAN region.

Datuk K.Rajagopal, the man behind the resurgence of the Harimau Malaya team will be at his toes for this tie. Facing opponents that have been dominating the Asian football scene for years, King Raja would surely want his new look squad to create a good impression against the Socceroos.

Devoid of captain, Safiq Rahim, midfielders, Syakir Shaari and Amirulhadi Zainal and striking sensation, Ashaari Shamsuddin, Malaysian will be relying on their squad to impress in Canberra. Players like Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia's defender, K.Reuben, Terengganu attacking Midfielder, Joseph Kallang Tie, Winger, Wan Zaharulnizam Wan Zakaria and left back, Zubir Azmi are the new faces in the team and they are expected to spearhead the challenge of the team.

Joseph Kalang Tie will be the man to watch as he will taking over the task of Safiq Rahim for the game against Australia. The 24 year old creative midfielder from Sarawak has impressed in the Malaysia Cup campaign, thus receiving a call up from King Raja. His runs, dribbling and awareness is his key attributes and though he does not possess the leadership skills like Safiq but he makes up for his commitment and determination.

Most of the Harimau Muda A players have been selected for the game as K.Rajagopal is relying on young bloods to spearhead the team. Safee Sali and Norhafiz Zamani Misbah are the veterans in the team as both of them will play a key role in this game. 

Safee back from his trials from Cardiff, has vowed to emulate the efforts of P.Ravindran whereas Norhafiz Zamani Misbah, will be a pillar in the defence. 30 years old and still going strong, the defender has been a steadying since his impressive performance against Chelsea in the Bukit Jalil Stadium.

However, one player that will be the highlight is Khairul Fahmi Che Mat. Back from a impressive performance in the 2-0 defeat against the Japan U-23 team, will surely be the first choice goalkeeper for the Malaysian side and he is sure to cause ripples in Canberra. The Kelantan goalkeeper, who has been the mainstay for the National squad for a year one has vowed to do his best to nullify the Australian attack.

Australia who will have the likes of defender,Lucas Neill, midfielder, Matt McKay and striker, Joshua Kennedy in their ranks will surely want a big win from this game to satisfy their fans. However, Malaysia would surely be a tough nut to crack and to be fair, Australia have the highest of opportunity to nail this game but the score will be at a respectable manner.