PETALING JAYA, May 30 — The Harimau Malaya are working hard to strengthen and correct their mistakes and weaknesses ahead of the Tier 1 international friendly match against Hong Kong on Wednesday (June 1).

Defender Ahmad Khuzaimi Piee, 29, said it was important to avoid the mistakes made against Brunei last Friday (May 27) in the next game, which comes just before the 2023 Asian Cup Qualifiers scheduled from June 8 to 14.

“Every mistake made during the first friendly against Brunei needs to be corrected. First of all, we are trying to get a better understanding of the combinations (of players) that coach Kim Pan Gon has placed, God willing we will do our best.

“There is not much time for the Asian Cup Qualifiers, so whatever the coaches plan, we will try to make it happen and strive so that all the fans know that we are not being complacent in the qualifiers,” he said when met during a training session at Wisma FAM here today.

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Earlier, Pan Gon stated that despite the 4-0 win over Brunei, his side’s performance at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium could have been better.

Ahmad Khuzaimi admitted that it was difficult for the players to ensure that no mistakes were made during a match, but said that mistakes should be something for the team to learn from and move forward.

The Negri Sembilan FC player said he also had no problem playing in a back-three or back-four formation, as he had experience in both situations.

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Meanwhile, Ahmad Khuzaimi said all players should be ready to go onto the pitch on the day of the match as the starting line-up was only announced by Pan Gon when they were in the locker room.

“So we all have to be prepared, because the coach believes in all the players. Whoever plays, we will all do our best, regardless of whether we are in the first eleven or as substitutes,” he explained.

After the match against Hong Kong, the Harimau Malaya will begin their Asian Cup qualifying campaign in Group E against Turkmenistan on June 8, followed by Bahrain (June 11) and Bangladesh (June 14). — Bernama