Wednesday 23 November 2011

Syria looking to beat Malaysia and stay top in Olympic qualifier

Syria will be looking to consolidate their position on top of Group C when they take on Malaysia in the Asian Zone final round qualifying for the London Olympics at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil today.

Coach Emad Kan Khan was in gracious mood at the pre-match press conference as he congratulated the Malaysians for winning the SEA Games gold medal. But there was no hiding the fact that the Syrians will be gunning for all three points today.

The Syrians arrived on Sunday to acclimatise and are well prepared to face a fatigued Malaysian side who toiled for 120 minutes before edging Indonesia 4-3 in the penalty shootout after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 after extra time.

“We watched Malaysia yesterday and have a clear idea of what to expect,” said Emad at Wisma FAM.

“The Malaysian players are fast and play well as a team. I believe the home crowd support will  give them  a real boost.

“But we know what to do. We intend to stay unbeaten.”

Mohammed Fares, who was part of the Al Ittihad squad that won the AFC Cup last year, is expected to spearhead the Syrian attack.

 However, talismanic striker Oday Al Jaffal is unavailable due to injury.

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