The Malaysian junior hockey squad are mentally prepared for their tricky Junior Asia Cup quarter-final tie against South Korea, according to their head coach, Arul Selvaraj.
Malaysia are favourites to win the tournament, but they’ve been rather inconsistent thus far. They narrowly progressed into the quarter-final, after losing to India and drawing against Japan in the group stages.
There is also a lot more at stake in their tie against South Korea. All teams progressing into the semi-finals, will secure an automatic slot for next year’s Hockey Junior World Cup. Arul though, thinks his men are ready for battle.
“I don’t see a reason to be pressured. This game is like every other game. But of course, it’s important for us. It’s never easy to face South Korea at this stage, but I believe our players are ready to battle it out against them,” he told Bernama.
“We have an opportunity to scale a bigger height so it’s important for us to get the job done and make sure we get the win we want,” he added.
FULL JUNIOR ASIA CUP QUARTER-FINAL TIE
Malaysia vs South Korea
Bangladesh vs Japan
Pakistan vs China
India vs Oman
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