The Malaysian team will play against Laos in the third match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers with the starting lineup continuing to rely heavily on naturalized players.
Despite having just experienced a major change when 7 foreign-born players were banned from FIFA due to fraudulent records, coach Peter Cklamovski still maintains the philosophy of using the multinational force in the squad.
In defense, Dion Cools (belgium) and Corbin-Ong ( Canada) are two notable faces, playing an important role in the wing and center of the defense.
The midfield has the presence of Nooa Laine (France) and Romel Morales (Colombia), players expected to help Malaysia maintain physical strength and ball control ability. Meanwhile, the attack is still confident in Arif and Morales - a duo capable of creating a breakthrough in the 16m50 area.
The fact that nearly half of naturalized players can still be played shows that Malaysia has not abandoned the policy of taking advantage of foreign resources, despite facing the risk of being defeated by AFC in previous matches due to using unqualified players.
The match against Laos is considered an opportunity for coach Cklamovski to test the squad and find a temporary replacement for the suspended pillar group.
The match between Malaysia and Laos will take place at 19:00 tonight (October 9) Vietnam time.
