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Malaysia’s Davies has high expectations; Haddad wants Jordan to remain grounded

AIPS AISA News:

Al Wakrah: Mathew Davies expects Malaysia to produce a strong performance when they take on Jordan in their AFC Asian Cup Qatar™ 2023 Group E tie at the Al Janoub Stadium on Monday.
Jordan’s Ehsan Haddad, however, said his team will adopt a cautious attitude despite having the psychological advantage of winning their last two encounters against the Southeast Asian side.

Jordan defeated Malaysia 1-0 in 2019 and 4-0 two years later but Davies believes they are primed to turn the corner against the West Asians.
“We want to qualify (automatically) to the Round of 16 which means at least finishing second in the group. It’s been a long time since we qualified on merit, we’re very proud of that fact,” said Davies, who plays for Malaysia Super League side Johor Darul Ta’zim. “We’re very proud of each other but at the same time we don’t want to be defensive, we want to play our football and compete against teams far higher than us.
“Credit to the coach and staff for sheltering the group from too much nervousness and expectations from outside. We’ve been really focused and doing our own thing. All that’s left to do now is to go out and play. We’ve had a fantastic buildup. That noise and excitement hasn’t gone to the group. We want to go out and play our football.”

The 28-year-old defender is fully aware of the threat posed by Jordan but said Malaysia are relishing the opportunity to perform their best in the continental competition.
“It’s fair to say we feel a bit of that pressure. It’s a good time to remind the fans that our ranking is lower than the other teams. We are not the favourites  but that’s also positive for us. It’s the first time we’ve ever been in a tournament like this. All the pressure is on the other teams. But again and again, we have shown that we are capable of challenging, we are quietly confident as a group.
“They have a lot of individual qualities in their group but we can’t focus on just one player. We have a few Jordanian players in the Malaysian league so we know their strength. We will need a team effort to stop them.”

Haddad, meanwhile, is confident Jordan can make a positive start.
“We are well-prepared to face Malaysia. We’ve had a productive training camp and engaging friendly matches, eagerly awaiting to put a smile on the faces of our Jordanian fans,” said the Al Faisaly defender. “The expectations from our passionate Jordanian supporters are high and rightfully so. We value their support and will strive to meet their expectations.
“The training camp is filled with positivity and high morale. The lessons learned from the last two friendlies (Qatar and Japan) have been instrumental in addressing our mistakes. Challenging matches help us identify weaknesses, and we aim to showcase unity on the pitch against Malaysia.”

Haddad also wants his teammates to forget about their past wins over Malaysia and focus on their current objective – to collect three points.
“While history holds importance, our focus now is on the present. Teams are continually improving, including the Malaysian team.
“We respect all our opponents and acknowledge the evolution of each team. Our performance on the pitch will not rely on past encounters. Despite two past victories against Malaysia, we anticipate a tough game tomorrow, and we are fully prepared for the challenge.”

Courtesy AFC
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Malaysia’s Davies has high expectations; Haddad wants Jordan to remain grounded

AIPS AISA News:

Al Wakrah: Mathew Davies expects Malaysia to produce a strong performance when they take on Jordan in their AFC Asian Cup Qatar™ 2023 Group E tie at the Al Janoub Stadium on Monday.
Jordan’s Ehsan Haddad, however, said his team will adopt a cautious attitude despite having the psychological advantage of winning their last two encounters against the Southeast Asian side.

Jordan defeated Malaysia 1-0 in 2019 and 4-0 two years later but Davies believes they are primed to turn the corner against the West Asians.
“We want to qualify (automatically) to the Round of 16 which means at least finishing second in the group. It’s been a long time since we qualified on merit, we’re very proud of that fact,” said Davies, who plays for Malaysia Super League side Johor Darul Ta’zim. “We’re very proud of each other but at the same time we don’t want to be defensive, we want to play our football and compete against teams far higher than us.
“Credit to the coach and staff for sheltering the group from too much nervousness and expectations from outside. We’ve been really focused and doing our own thing. All that’s left to do now is to go out and play. We’ve had a fantastic buildup. That noise and excitement hasn’t gone to the group. We want to go out and play our football.”

The 28-year-old defender is fully aware of the threat posed by Jordan but said Malaysia are relishing the opportunity to perform their best in the continental competition.
“It’s fair to say we feel a bit of that pressure. It’s a good time to remind the fans that our ranking is lower than the other teams. We are not the favourites  but that’s also positive for us. It’s the first time we’ve ever been in a tournament like this. All the pressure is on the other teams. But again and again, we have shown that we are capable of challenging, we are quietly confident as a group.
“They have a lot of individual qualities in their group but we can’t focus on just one player. We have a few Jordanian players in the Malaysian league so we know their strength. We will need a team effort to stop them.”

Haddad, meanwhile, is confident Jordan can make a positive start.
“We are well-prepared to face Malaysia. We’ve had a productive training camp and engaging friendly matches, eagerly awaiting to put a smile on the faces of our Jordanian fans,” said the Al Faisaly defender. “The expectations from our passionate Jordanian supporters are high and rightfully so. We value their support and will strive to meet their expectations.
“The training camp is filled with positivity and high morale. The lessons learned from the last two friendlies (Qatar and Japan) have been instrumental in addressing our mistakes. Challenging matches help us identify weaknesses, and we aim to showcase unity on the pitch against Malaysia.”

Haddad also wants his teammates to forget about their past wins over Malaysia and focus on their current objective – to collect three points.
“While history holds importance, our focus now is on the present. Teams are continually improving, including the Malaysian team.
“We respect all our opponents and acknowledge the evolution of each team. Our performance on the pitch will not rely on past encounters. Despite two past victories against Malaysia, we anticipate a tough game tomorrow, and we are fully prepared for the challenge.”

Courtesy AFC
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