Indonesia (ranked 125th in the world) will have their first match of the 2024 AFF Cup against Myanmar (ranked 167th in the world). The team from the archipelago has not won the AFF Cup despite reaching the final 6 times, so they are very determined in this year's tournament.
However, because the AFF Cup 2024 is a tournament that does not require clubs to release players, the Indonesian team cannot send their strongest squad. They only send a squad with U23 to participate in the number 1 tournament in the region. According to Bola (Indonesia), 16/24 players of the Indonesian team participating in the AFF Cup 2024 have never played for the national team before.
“The opening match of the 2024 AFF Cup against Myanmar will be difficult for us because the opponent will use the strongest lineup. We also came here to prepare for the SEA Games and the AFC U23 qualifiers next year. We hope that the U23 players we brought can gain a lot of experience in the 2024 AFF Cup,” said coach Shin Tae-yong.
Similarly, Myanmar coach Myo Hlaig Win is also cautious about the opening match. He said: “In Group B, we will play four matches. In the opening match, we will face Indonesia and our minimum goal is to get one point. If luck is on our side, we can get three points.”
Myanmar has not reached the semi-finals of the AFF Cup since 2016. In Group B, they are one of the two weakest teams in the group, along with Laos. Therefore, Mr. Myo Hlaing Win has set a very specific goal for his team.
According to him, after the match against Indonesia, Myanmar will meet the Philippines (away) and Laos (home). “Our goal is to win all 6 points in these 2 matches. The last match is against Vietnam on December 21 away.
If we get 6-7 points in the first 3 matches, the match against Vietnam will decide our fate at the AFF Cup 2024. The Myanmar team has prepared everything carefully, including strategy, player rotation and predicting different situations."
The match between Myanmar and Indonesia will take place at 7:30 p.m. on December 9.
