Malaysia avoided the group of death when the draw for the AFF Cup was conducted today in Myanmar.
Group A comprises of hosts Philippines,
Thailand,
Singapore and
Indonesia
While Group B has hosts
Myanmar,
Malaysia,
Vietnam and a
Qualifier.
Had Malaysia swapped sports with Thailand, then things would have looked a lot more tougher.
"Though some may say we have a relatively easier draw that is not the case" said national coach Dato Ong Kim Swee.
"We always have a tough time against Vietnam and Myanmar and have to give due respect to the qualifiers as well.
"One has to bear in mind that Myanmar are finishing up their domestic season in three weeks time giving them a solid preparation of two months.
"We need to be well prepared for the tournament and the matches lined up in terms of friendlies will be used to prepare for the matches at the AFF Cup accordingly.
"In terms of the fixtures, it is good as we play the qualifiers first, followed by Vietnam and Myanmar."
While sounding rather optimistic Kim Swee is well aware of the pitfalls that await his team.
With only 3 months remaining the national team has been hit by withdrawals of four senior players and it is learnt that there will be some changes to the national set up in the formula put forward by mediator Khairy Janaluddin
