Football
ESPN staff 9y

Fahmi Che Mat: Mat Yo will be at his best for Malaysia at Suzuki Cup

Malaysia goalkeeper Khairul Fahmi Che Mat is confident national team striker Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, popularly known as Mat Yo, will be at his best in their AFF Suzuki Cup Group B opener against Myanmar at the Jalan Besar Stadium in Singapore on Sunday.

"It seems the coach will use Norshahrul and Mohd. Amri Yahya upfront. Both of them are starting to click as a unit," Khairul, who is nicknamed Apek by teammates, told The Star.

"Our strikers were not regulars in the Malaysia Super League. So they are a bit rusty and need some time to get back to their best," said Khairul. "We all know Norshahrul's quality. I am confident he will be back to his best in Singapore."

Norshahrul, 28, and Khairul, 25, were teammates and friends at Kelantan during the club's dominance of the Malaysia Super League between 2010 and 2012. They were also key members of Malaysia's 2010 Suzuki Cup winning team.

Norshahrul joined Johor Darul Ta'zim (JDT) in 2013. But the forward could not live up to expectations at the big-spending Malaysian club. Unable to deal with pressure, his form deserted him. He also lost his starting spot.

Norshahrul, however, showed glimpses of his old touch during the national team's friendly defeats to Syria (3-0) and Vietnam (3-1) last week. He combined well with JDT teammate and strike partner Amri Yahya during the matches though the team ended up second best in both matches.

National coach Dollah Salleh is likely to prefer Norshahrul and Amri as his two forwards during the group stages of the elite ASEAN tournament with veteran striker Safee Sali -- who has scored eight goals in three previous tournaments -- likely to start on the bench.

Khairul is expected to be Harimau Malaya's No.1 goalkeeper for the tournament though he will face stiff competition from Selangor custodian Farizal Marlias.

Malaysia are drawn in Group B along with tournament co-hosts and defending champions Singapore, underdogs Myanmar and three-time champions Thailand.

Malaysia Squad for Suzuki Cup:

Goalkeepers: Mohd Farizal Marlias, Khairul Fahmi Che Mat, Khairul Azhan Khalid.

Defenders: Mohd Afif Amiruddin, Mahali Jasuli, Mohd Azmi Muslim, Shukor Adan, Zubir Azmi, Mohd Muslim Ahmad, Fadhli Shas.

Midfielders: Mohd Safiq Rahim, Mohd Badhri Mohd Radzi, Gary Steven Robbat, S. Kunalan, Azamuddin Akil, Mohd Hafiz Kamal, Baddrol Bakhtiar.

Strikers: Norshahrul Idlan Talaha, Safee Sali, Indra Putra Mahayuddin, Mohd Amri Yahyah, Abdul Manaf Mamat.

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