Malaysia vs Singapore Predictions
Malaysia and Singapore meet in Bandung on Thursday in their final FIFA ASEAN Cup Group A fixture.
While Malaysia are favourites, a competitive contest with chances at both ends is expected.
I have my only stake on BTTS.
BTTS on the Cards in ASEAN Cup Clash
- Malaysia scored 1+ goals in 8 of their last 12 matches
- Malaysia have seen BTTS in 3 of their last 4 matches against Singapore
- Singapore have seen BTTS in 13 of their last 19 matches
- Singapore scored 1+ goals in 17 of their last 19 matches
Malaysia and Singapore Level in Recent H2H
Malaysia and Singapore have met on five occasions since 2020. Both teams claimed two wins while one game finished level.
Singapore slipped to a 2-1 defeat when these nations last met in a friendly 12 months ago, but FIFA subsequently awarded Singapore a 3-0 victory after Malaysia fielded ineligible players.
Malaysia Held by Ten-Man Indonesia
Malaysia arrive in Bandung after a frustrating 0-0 draw against Indonesia in Jakarta on Monday.
Despite facing ten men for more than half of the contest after Thom Haye’s dismissal, the Malayan Tigers were unable to find a breakthrough.
Arif Aiman, Paulo Josue and Fergus Tierney were among those who passed up big chances to claim all three points.
Final match stats reflected Malaysia’s dominance, with Tan Cheng Hoe’s side enjoying 64% possession and registering 16 shots to Indonesia’s three.
The Malayan Tigers kicked off their ASEAN Cup campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win against Bangladesh. Cheng Hoe’s men must now match Indonesia’s result against Bangladesh to secure their place in the final against Thailand.
Singapore Keep Hopes Alive
Singapore maintained their hopes of reaching the ASEAN Cup final with a 1-0 victory against Bangladesh earlier this week.
Harhys Stewart’s first-half header secured a nervy win for the Lions.
Gavin Lee’s side could have scored more but were forced to settle for a narrow win against opponents ranked over 30 places below in the FIFA Rankings.
Monday's victory leaves Lee's men one point behind Malaysia and Indonesia going into Thursday's final round. A victory in Bandung would take Singapore above their Causeway rivals, but they also need Indonesia to drop points against Bangladesh to top the section.
Singapore showed they can compete with regional opponents during the summer's ASEAN Hyundai Cup. They held Indonesia to a 1-1 draw in the group phase before a narrow 4-3 aggregate reversal against Thailand in the semi-finals.
A decent run of form in the last year should give the Lions further confidence. Lee’s side are unbeaten in 12 of their last 14 competitive fixtures. They failed to score in only three of those 12 matches.
Malaysia vs Singapore Squads & Team News
Malaysia Squad
Goalkeepers: Ahmad Syihan Hazmi Mohamed, Haziq Nadzli, Azri Ghani
Defenders: Dion Cools, Daniel Ting, Brad Tapp, La'Vere Corbin-Ong, Syahmi Safari, Quentin Cheng, Ubaidullah Shamsul Fazili, Harith Haiqal Adam Afkar
Midfielders: Stuart Wilkin, Nathaniel Shio Hong Wan, Manuel Hidalgo, Nooa Laine, Nazmi Faiz Mansor, Muhamad Syahir Bashah
Forwards: Arif Aiman Hanapi, Bergson da Silva, Faisal Halim, Pavithran Gunalan, Fergus Tierney, Paulo Josue
Tan Cheng Hoe could make one or two changes to his first XI this week. Paulo Josue and Fergus Tierney are in contention to come into the starting lineup.
Cheng Hoe was satisfied with Monday’s draw against Indonesia, but felt his side had missed the chance to claim all three points.
“I’m quite satisfied with the result. Of course, we created a few chances and really missed a few chances that could almost have created the atmosphere that we beat Indonesia on their home ground.
“But of course, we still have room for improvement, and we would like to take this opportunity to play in this kind of atmosphere and compete with Indonesia. We knew exactly how good the Indonesia team are,” he told a post-match press conference.
Singapore Squad
Goalkeepers: Izwan Mahbud, Ridhuan Barudin, Syazwan Buhari
Defenders: Hariss Harun, Irfan Najeeb, Nur Adam Abdullah, Raoul Suhaimi, Ryhan Stewart, Safuwan Baharudin, Lionel Tan
Midfielders: Joel Chew, Farhan Zulkifli, Hami Syahin, Haziq Kamarudin, Glenn Kweh, Jacob Mahler, Kyoga Nakamura, Shah Shahiran, Song Uiyoung, Harhys Stewart
Forwards: Faris Ramli, Ilhan Fandi, Shawal Anuar
Head coach Lee has no new injury issues and is likely to retain much of the same side that started Monday’s win against Bangladesh.
Glenn Kweh could earn a recall after replacing Farhan Zulkifi at half-time.
Speaking to the media ahead of Thursday's contest, Lee said Singapore would approach the fixture without fear despite their underdog status.
“We might be the smaller nation, but we don't really care,” he said. “We just go out there and give our best every single time.”